Gundam Fairytales
by Shania Nowhere
Summary: In the midst of war, a girl appears between stray bullets and captures the attention of one braided warrior. After being rescued, she reveals a great secret that will forever change the winds of time and decide the fate of their world, a world that is not
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is the first time I'll say this (not saying it'll be the last, sadly…) so get ready…ready? I don't own Gundam Wing! There, I said it. Whew, I've been working on that in therapy, I'm getting better though… j/k…but seriously, I don't own Gundam Wing, don't sue me…In addition, this story has been revised to edit out all the errors in spelling and such so it will be easier reading for you all! Also, it has several cheesy parts in it that I plan to change/erase during the summer when I have freetime. For now, this is what you'll have to put up with. So, when you post a comment or whatever, just keep in mind I will be changing various parts of it later...so stay tuned! end of long disclaimer

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Gundam Fairytales

Chapter 1

"Oz troops gathering to the West and South, more coming in from the East. We're slowly becoming outnumbered, Duo, maybe we should give up now and wait in the caves for backup." The pilot of the Gundam Sandrock said calmly over the comlink to his battle companion, the Deathscythe. Stubborn as usual, Duo replied in spite, I'm not giving up now, we're still winning as far as I'm concerned! I'll take the West, you go for the South. Quickly, Duo shut down his comlink and rocketed toward the oncoming mobile suit fleet. With a sigh, Quatre Winner scanned the Western horizon again, finding the numbers of mobile suits rapidly growing from the original 40 to well over a 100. He wanted to stop his friend from committing suicide but it was too late, Duo was already in combat with the front of the attack wave. Reluctantly, Quatre advanced to battle the forces to the South, not looking back but still thinking about the battle to his right.

"I can take these guys on, I'm not afraid of them!" Duo yelled proudly, but his confidence was quickly defeated when a group of Doll Mobile suits flew in from the back of the fleet. He cursed in surprise as he tried to dodge the Dolls' accurate laser blasts. Despite his attempts to evade them, he was finally hit and fell with a crash into the thick forest below, landing on a camp he hadn't seen, before it was too late. With sweat dripping from his cheek, he struggled to get his Gundam to its feet before the Dolls had a chance to close in and blow him to oblivion. As he looked out his viewing screen to see where the Dolls were, he glanced down at the ground and caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Forgetting the attackers for a second, he moved his Gundam into a position that he could see what it was he thought he saw.

"Oh no, there's someone down there! It's. . .a girl." He felt this sudden compulsion to save her, he didn't know quite why though. A mobile suit approached and aimed to fire at Duo, also aiming to take out the camp beneath the Gundam's frame. Duo quickly pulled out his Gundam's scythe and slashed the mobile suit in half, causing it to explode and block the rest of the troop's view of the Deathscythe. Taking advantage of this distraction, Duo piloted his Gundam to its feet and before taking off, turned on a outside comlink and yelled down to the girl, " Hey you, get out of here, before you get killed!" She just stood staring at the Deathscythe, wobbling a bit and clutching her arm. Duo didn't understand why she was just standing there.

"Do you want to be killed or something! Move it!" Duo yelled again, getting a bit worried, the smoke from the mobile suit's explosion slowly dissipating and revealing Duo's position. In anger, Duo cursed again and knelt his Gundam down, grabbing the girl in one of its large hands. She let out a small protest in fear, or pain, Duo wasn't sure. But all he knew was he had to get his butt out of there. He activated the propulsion rockets and began his escape, making sure he didn't let any stray shots hit the girl. He approached Quatre's Gundam and called to him.

"Quatre, let's get out of here!"

"Now he wants to leave," Quatre mumbled to himself before answering, Alright, head North and I'll follow soon, hurry! Duo didn't waste time retreating to the mountains, flying fast and straight for a while before diving into the trees and traveling quickly to the hidden caves they had been camping out in for the past few days. As he traveled deep into the caves where there was no light, he activated his scythe again, illuminating the tunnel with its green glow. He finally reached the cavern he was searching for and positioned his Gundam in a dark corner, quickly shutting down its systems and opening the front hatch. He jumped out of the cockpit and made his way down to the Gundam's hand that still held the frightened girl. Duo stopped on its wrist and said in a not too comforting voice, "What the heck were you thinking! Why the heck didn't you run like I told you to?" the girl stared at Duo in pain and said, " I-I can't run, my leg is broken." With a frustrated moan, Duo pulled the girl out of the Gundam's hand, causing her more unbearable pain than he did when he scooped her up in the first place. He wrapped her arm around his neck and said, "Hold on tight." He held her close as he grabbed the escape robe on his Gundam and slowly lowered himself and the girl to the ground. As soon as they landed on the ground, she slipped loose of his grip and fell.

"Ah, oops! Are you okay?" Duo asked, kneeling to help her back up.

"Yes, except for my wounds, I think I'm okay, Duo." He paused for a second, looking surprised.

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How does she know my name? I don't recall ever hearing Quatre say it. Duo pondered this for a moment before the sound of the Sandrock echoed abruptly through the cave, startling Duo for a second before he recognized it. He pulled the girl to her limp feet and held her steady as Quatre entered the cavern and parked his Gundam. Quickly hopping out, Quatre ran to Duo and in a wondering voice, asked, "Duo, where'd the girl come from?"

"She was in the forest where I was fighting, I. . .didn't want to leave her to die." Quatre was a bit set back by Duo's sudden show of concern, but kept his comments to himself. The two boys together carried the injured girl over to their campout and laid her on the ground. Quatre ran to their supplies and got out a first aid kit, bringing it over to the girl and beginning to tend to her wounds. Duo stared at the girl's face for a while, fascinated and yet startled by her knowledge of his name, puzzling about how she may have figured out what his name was. As Quatre finished, he said sweetly, " There, now you should rest and stay off of that leg for a while till it heals."

"thank you, Quatre." The girl managed to say just before passing out. The boys looked at each other and Quatre questioned Duo.

"Did you tell her what my name is?" the boy asked as he brushed some blonde hair out of his face.

"No; she knows my name too." They fell silent and decided to leave her alone for a time while they went about with various tasks. A few long hours later, Duo walked by the slumbering girl and glanced down at her in curiosity. She looked so at peace, despite all that she had been through. He felt like checking her wounds, and knelt to look at the bandages. He gently unwrapped her leg and gasped, touching her completely healed flesh, running his hand over her soft, undamaged skin visible through the rip in her clothes. The touch of his hand startled her awake and she sat up, staring at his hand, which he quickly withdrew. He stared at her shocked shaky eyes, his own eyes wide with amazement. She blinked a few times before saying in a soft, gentle voice, "Why are you staring at me like that, Duo?"

"Your leg, it's completely healed! You've only been lying here for 2 hours and that big gash is already gone!" In wonder, she looked down at her leg and then her arm, unwrapping it and looking at her perfectly smooth skin, no sign of any wound or injury having been there. Duo stared intently at her arm, slowly reaching out in wonder to touch it.

"Duo, what are you doing! Her wounds haven't-" Quatre stopped abruptly in his approach and stared at her arm and leg as well, his mouth falling open in shock. He quickly knelt down to take a closer look as he rambled, "How is this possible? Your wounds are gone! But they can't have healed already, it hasn't been more than two hours!" Duo didn't seem to notice Quatre's comments as he touched the girl's arm, gently running his hand over where it had been broken. She lightly shuttered at this and she said, "What happened? Where'd my wounds go? What did you do to me!"

"What's your name?" Duo asked in a half trancy voice, ignoring her questions. Timidly, she answered, "Rachel. Is this a. . .dream?"

"I'm not quite sure at the moment." Quatre heard a beeping echoing through the cave and jumped up, running swiftly to his Gundam and hopping in. He pressed a button along side his seat and a screen popped up, showing a young man with long brown hair hanging in his face.

"Heero, hello my friend! Are you close by?" Quatre greeted the Gundam pilot in his cheerful voice.

I hate to disappoint you, Quatre, but I've been a bit. . .delayed. I won't be able to come for another couple of hours, I hope this isn't an inconvenience to you and Duo. The boy said with a face lacking emotion.

"Well, we've managed to get into some caves, I don't think the fleets spotted us retreating. There's at least 200 mobile suits and Dolls out there looking for us so be cautious when approaching our location."

I will, thanks for the warning. Heero out. And with that, the message ended. Quatre rejoined Duo to find the two teens in a deep conversation.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Quatre asked with a grin. Duo looked up at him and said, "No, I was just having an interesting conversation with Rachel here, she seems to know a lot about us and pretty much everyone else."

"Oh? Like what?" Quatre asked as he sat down next to the girl, curious himself as to what she knew. She smiled at him and looked back at Duo.

"Well, she knows everyone's name, on both sides of this war. In fact, she even knows stuff we don't even know." Duo said with an air of excitement in his voice.

"So are you a spy or something? Or maybe Treize's secretary?" Quatre jokingly said. She laughed sweetly and said, "No, nothing of the sort! I'm just a normal, 15-year-old girl, lost in a fantasy world…" She looked around in slight confusion and sighed.

"Fantasy world? Humph, who would want a fantasy like this. . .this is the real world, babe, get used to it. What, have you been hiding in some mansion somewhere, far from the war and any sign of reality?" she frowned at Duo and said, "What's your problem, you act as if what I said was aimed at you! I was just saying. . ."

"Sure. . .look, you don't wanna know what MY problem is. . .you don't wanna know anything about me, you'd be too scared." Duo said, getting close on his last few words. Rachel leaned back, away from Duo and said, "Well if you're gonna be like that. . ."

"I am, got a problem with that?"

"No, I'm going to leave now, I think I can find more answers outside, where I'm alone." She stood up and stormed toward the dark tunnel.

"Duo, did you have to get so defensive? I mean, gosh, do you hate her or something? I'm going to go follow her. . .so she doesn't get lost." As Quatre got up, Duo stopped him and said, "Oh forget it, I'll follow her. We shouldn't let her leave anyway, she knows way too much about us." Duo left to find the girl. As he ran down the long and dark tunnels that twisted here and there into more darkness, he wished he had been smart enough to bring some form of light with him to see where he was going. But as he was arguing with himself, he saw a flicker of illumination ahead of him in the corridor. He sped up to find that the girl had something lit in her hand, held out to brighten her way as she ran along at a slow trot. He caught up to her and yelled out abruptly, "Hey you! Where do you think you're going? Don't you think you might get lost if you don't know your way around?"

"I think I can find my way, thank you." She answered snidely, not even bothering to acknowledge his presence. He frowned and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop rather suddenly, saying, "Hey! I was-"

She gasped as the light in her hand fell to the ground and revealed itself to be a mere ball of fire, no signs of a source of its ignition. He stared at it as it quickly went out and left the two young people in the dark together, staring intently at where they had last seen each other's faces.

"Now look what you've done!" Rachel exclaimed indignantly.

"What I did? You dropped it! What was that, anyway? It didn't look like a flare or candle or a match. . ."

"It wasn't. Would you leave me alone!" She tried to pull away but Duo wouldn't let her go.

"Wait, you can't run off in this darkness, you'll trip and hurt yourself or fall into a hole or-"

"Or find the way out? Do you mind?" She reached for his hand and pulled it away, throwing it aside and taking off down the tunnel, leaving Duo to scream after her, "You must have hurt more than your leg and arm when you were out there! Hey, come back here, I'm not done yelling!" He ran after her, a bit cautious of where he stepped as he went. Her footsteps raced off ahead of him, fading into a dull echo as he slowed to a fast walk, and then a complete stop.

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Darn that girl! If she gets lost it won't be my fault!. . .Oh who am I kidding. . .I have to find that stupid girl before someone else does. There has to be something in my pocket that I can light. . .

He groped around in his pockets and patted himself down until he felt a bulge in his left sleeve. He unrolled it and found a matchbox tucked away there for obvious safekeeping. He grinned as he fumbled around and managed to feel his way to lighting one of the matches. He didn't waste anytime as he hurried off down the tunnel after the girl, not even thinking to perhaps return to his Gundam and use its lights to find her faster, and with fewer burns and fumbles for new matches. He finally found the faint echoing of her footsteps, slowed to a calm walk from what he could guess as he turned a corner. He looked ahead of him but couldn't quite make out whether she was anywhere in proximity to him.

"Hey, girl, where'd you go? Please come back, will ya! I didn't mean to yell at ya; awe please come baaack. . ." He sighed and slowed down himself as he couldn't hear the girl anymore. In frustration, he stopped and stared into the darkness barely lit farther than 5 feet in front of him by the depleting match.

"YEEEAAAOOOWWWW!" Duo yelped as the match burnt him and went out from the wild shake Duo gave his hand. He sucked on his fingers in an attempt to ease the pain as he moaned sadly and crossly, feeling a bit hopeless in his dark situation. A hand touched his shoulder and he grabbed it, feeling that it was soft and small, that of a young girl's. He squinted into the darkness but couldn't see a thing.

"Are you okay? I heard you scream." It was the girl. He was surprised as he exclaimed, "How'd you find me like that! It's pitch black in here!"

"It doesn't matter. Why do you want to find me so badly?" Duo blushed a bit in embarrassment.

"I just. . .thought it was a bad idea to let you run off alone. . .seeing that you don't seem to know your way around here. . ."

"Well. . .care to show me the way?" He could almost sense her smiling as he blushed a bit more and said, "I think it would be a better idea if you stayed in the cave with me and Quatre, it would be safer than out there. . .being a war. . .and all. . ." A small light flickered to life from the darkness and Duo squinted his eyes, readjusting to the light. He looked down to find the light coming from a new flame in the palm of the girl's left hand. He gasped and tried to bat it away but she stopped him, saying, "No, don't! It's okay!"

"But. . .your hand!"

"It's okay." The girl said softly, touching Duo's shaky hand with hers and smiling. He looked up into her eyes and blushed again, turning away because now she could see him. He scowled in embarrassment and said, "Come on, I'll take you back to the cave." The girl grinned and said coyly, "Okay." They walked together back through the tunnel and watched the light from the flame dance along the rocky walls like one of the rivers flowing through the forest surrounding the cave. They stayed quiet the entire walk back until they entered the cave the Gundams were in. Quatre looked up and said, "Ah, there you are! Did you two have a nice stroll?" Duo glared at him and mouthed "Shutup" as Rachel rolled her eyes and walked toward Sandrock. She ran her hands over the Gundanium alloy making the frame of Sandrock as she said, "Is this Sandrock? Or Sandrock Custom?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Quatre asked as he walked over to join her.

"Your Gundam self-destructed to save your life. . .oh, but I guess that hasn't happened yet. . ." She responded, quickly shutting up. Quatre seemed surprised by her comment and said, "Self. . .destructed? On its own?"

"Um, forget I said that. . ."

"Wait, you said it hasn't happened yet, what did you mean by that?" Duo asked, getting pulled into the discussion.

"Nothing, I didn't say anything. . ." She tried to walk away but Duo cut her off and said sternly, "No, you know something and I think we should know as well! You ARE a spy for Treize, and you know his future plans, don't you!"

"What! NO! I don't even know Treize!"

"Don't you try to fool me with some lame innocent act, TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW!"

"Leave me alone!" Rachel screamed, cringing up as she did and somehow pushing Duo away from her without even touching him.

"AAHH!" Duo flew 10 feet from her and landed with a thud, wincing and staring at her glowing form, seeming to be almost on fire. Quatre's eyes were wide with surprise as he witnessed what just happened.

"How. . .did you do that?" Quatre asked Rachel in a calm voice, trying not to use a tone anywhere near Duo's demanding commands. Her eyes popped open and she stared at Duo as if she just realized what she did. She gasped and looked at herself, noticing the ominous glow of ghostly flames encompassing her body.

"What's going on!" She said, frightened by everything she was doing.

"You don't know?" Duo asked as he wobbled to his feet.

"No."

"Maybe it would help if you calmed down so we could talk about this." Quatre tried to tame her rage with his soothing voice.

"No, you think I'm a spy, you just want to interrogate me!" Rachel exclaimed, backing away from them and starting for the cavern again.

"Wait, you're wrong, I just want to help!" Quatre said, trying to convince her he wasn't against her. She stared into his sincere blue eyes and realized he wasn't lying to her, so she stopped. She clutched her hands against her chest and still looked a bit unsure as Quatre slowly approached her, his hand out in a show of friendship.

"How do I know I can trust you?" She said, still wary of him.

"If you know as much about us as it seems you do, then you should know me well enough to trust me."

"True. . ." She said, finally giving in and taking his outstretched hand and letting him lead her to the small encampment they had set up. He got her a foldable stool to sit on and sat down on one himself, facing her with his usual cheerful smile.

"So, you don't seem to be from around here, that's obvious by your behavior. Where are you from?"

"Earth. . ." She said shyly.

"Okay, so you're not from the Colonies. Where on earth? You look to be a bit European, say from the area of the old Sanc Kingdom?"

"No, I'm American. I mean, I was born in America; I have a diverse heritage. . ." She responded, looking into her lap and fiddling with the edge of her silk skirt.

"You're American? Me too." Duo said, trying to get on her good side.

"I know." She said, looking at him and smiling. Duo paused and blinked.

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Huh? She smiled at me! I thought she was mad. . .why's she acting so nice? I don't understand girls.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Wing, don't own the song Duo starts to sing in this chapter…hehe…

Chapter 2

"Oh, I hear the com in my Gundam, it must be Heero. . ." Quatre said as he jumped up and rushed off to answer the call. Duo smiled and said, "Well, now that we're alone for a second, I had a question I wanted to ask you. . ." Rachel looked up from the ground at the sudden attention turned to her and said, "Um, ok. . ." He grinned more and said, "Well, after hearing all about you being from an alternate universe of Earth and our world only being a cartoon. . .I was just curious. . .do you have a favorite, um, character? Don't tell me, you go for the cute and adorable type like Quatre. . ." Rachel giggled and said, "He is cute but. . ."

"I knew it!" Duo said, shaking his head in sarcastic shame.

"BUT" Rachel said again, "he's not my favorite."

"Oh? Who is? If you have a crush on Heero I think I'm gonna have to barf. . ." Rachel burst out laughing and composed herself enough to say, "Well gee, you're so nice to your friends!"

"No offense to him but. . .the guy's a stiff, from what I've seen so far." Duo whispered as if Heero were right behind him. Rachel giggled again and slyly grinned.

"Maybe I don't want to tell you. . .after all, you may blow my cover and then I'll be all embarrassed. . ."

"I wouldn. . ." He paused to think about what he was going to say, "Well, yeah, you're probably right. . .but hey, you gotta let me have a little fun!" She laughed again and Duo did as well, just as Quatre came back to rejoin them.

"What's so funny?" Quatre asked as he sat down in his chair across from Rachel and Duo, whom had scooted his chair closer to Rachel as Quatre noticed with a grin. Duo held back his laughs for a moment and said, "Oh, I was just asking her a question. . .nothing important." Feeling left out, he looked over at Rachel who was trying to compose herself again.

"What did I miss?" She smiled and said, "Duo asked me who my favorite character was." Duo stifled a snort of laughter.

"Oh really? Uh. . .who might that be?" Quatre asked.

"What's wrong, hard up for a date?" Duo teased, winking. Quatre blushed and said defensively, "No, I'm not looking for a girlfriend at the moment. Seeing my current situation, I wouldn't have time to give a proper relationship. . ."

"Right. . .you couldn't get a date if you tried. . ." Duo taunted.

"That's not nice, Duo. . .he could very well have a girlfriend if he wanted to!"

"I could?" Even Quatre doubted that happening.

"You wouldn't believe the amount of girls in my dimension who would just die to go out with a guy like you!"

"Die is right. . ." Duo mumbled, then got a glare from Quatre. Quatre then turned back to Rachel and said as he blushed, "Really? My. . .I never imagined having a fan club. . ." He chuckled and Duo's eyes brightened up.

"Hey, does that mean we all have our own fan clubs?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, tons. . .believe it our not, even Mr. Anti-Onna has girls fawning after him. . ." At that comment, Duo burst out laughing, collapsing to the floor as he held his sides. Quatre even laughed at this comment. Just then they heard the light sounds of rocket boosters echoing through the cavern and they all looked toward the entrance to see the Wing Gundam enter the chamber, gracefully landing next to the other Gundams. Duo grinned and jumped to his feet, running towards the Gundam as it powered down, heat exhaust vents steaming as it cooled the engines. The cockpit's hatch door opened and out walked Heero, looking somber as usual. He leaned against the edge of the hatchway and stared down at the jolly Duo below.

"Hey, didn't think you'd make it tonight!" Duo shouted up to him, "Hope you don't mind, we have a visitor."

"Who?" Heero asked, looking over at the bonfire where Quatre sat talking to a girl. As he jumped down from his gundam, Duo said, "It's a girl I found while I was fighting. I didn't want her to get hurt cause I was battling right over where she was hiding."

"Did you tell her anything?" Heero asked, making sure his friend hadn't been the usual talkative idiot he saw him as whenever he was around girls.

"Didn't have to, she already knew." Duo said.

"What?" Heero looked at Duo in confusion.

"Come on over and meet her, I'm sure she can explain it better than I can." Duo walked back to the fire and Heero followed him at a steady pace. Duo tapped Rachel on the shoulder and whispered, "Soldier boy is coming, don't get scared if he pulls a gun on ya."

"Huh?" Rachel looked up at Duo then behind herself at the approaching boy. He stopped a few feet away, facing the whole group as he said, "I hear you know something. . ."

"Well, I wouldn't call it just something." She stood and smiled, "Hello, Heero." He didn't change his expression as he said, "I see I've already been introduced."

"Oh no, we haven't said a word." Duo remarked.

"They don't need to, I. . .well, I'm not sure if I want to say this in front of you, I might get shot before I can defend myself." She said sarcastically, yet a little serious.

"Depends, what do you mean." Heero said, not yet reaching for his gun.

"Well, I'm sure you'll think I'm out of my mind but. . .I'm from another dimension."

"Really. . ."

"In my dimension your lives are all part of a TV show called 'Gundam Wing'. . ."

"I see. . ." She could tell he already thought she was a few fries short of a happy meal.

"It's a well known anime on my Earth and, well, millions have seen it. I personally love the show and I've watched almost all the episodes. Though the library never seemed to have any episodes beyond number 22. . ." She began to muse to herself but got back on the subject, "Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is. . .I know about everything. From your pasts to your futures. . .every last detail I know, even things you don't." At that comment, Heero's eyes tightened a little and he looked down at Duo. Duo stood and said quickly, "Now look, don't kill her, she's telling the truth! She couldn't possibly be lying, I mean, she knows things that couldn't possibly have been recorded by OZ or anyone else for that matter!"

"And why should I let her live?" Heero said, looking from Duo to Quatre to the fearless girl standing before him.

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And why isn't she afraid of me if she knows me so well. . .Heero thought to himself.

"She may know everything about us but she also knows everything about OZ as well. It could be a great tactical advantage on our part." Quatre stated, trying to get Heero to find her life of importance. He seemed to think about it for a minute before he said, "And you trust her?"

"Well, she convinced me! I mean, the stories she can tell!" Duo said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Still looking a bit unconvinced, Heero said, "Fine, she can live. . .for now."

"Thanks. . ." She responded sarcastically. They all sat back down and Heero began to give his report on the current battle situation outside.

"I haven't gotten any responses from Trowa but I know he's been trying to contact me. I think he must be out of range because it always cuts out two seconds after it's sent." Heero said monotonely.

"Hmm. Hey, I wonder, would you know where he is, Rach?" Duo asked their new ally.

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Goody, I have a nickname already. She thought with a slight grin.

"Well, I might but I have no idea what's going on, so I can't pinpoint his location by the episode. I'm guessing we're sometime before you all journey to outer space. . ." Rachel began to recall the show.

"Hmm, outer space? What are we doing there?" Heero asked nonchalantly.

"Um, I forget, I think it's because the war had shifted to the colonies more than Earth at that point, I could be wrong. All I know is Quatre loses his Gundam in a frontal assault by OZ as him and Duo are trying to highjack a ride to outer space. The Gundam self-detonates to save his life. Later, Duo is ambushed in outer space and is severely damaged and captured, then the Gundam is later destroyed by Trowa in front of the colonies as a sign of peace." Duo had a look of insult and concern on his face as he looked over at his Gundam.

"Why would Trowa do that?" Quatre asked, shocked that his friend would do such a thing.

"He was trying to get on the inside of OZ, joining as a pilot and 'friend' of the military organization. He had to do it, or else they would think he was what Lady Une's lackey always secretly thought he was: a Gundam pilot. Sadly, you witness the brutal destruction, Duo. . ." Rachel said in a sympathetic tone. Duo looked more shocked than ever and Heero said, "Should we know this, it may change our futures."

"Your futures changed the minute Duo picked me up." Rachel pointed out, "I'm guessing that if I wasn't here, the battle would have continued-" Suddenly, she froze as a thought crossed her mind.

"Wait, were you trying to ambush an OZ base just when you found me?" Rachel asked them.

"Yes, we got ambushed ourselves by-" Quatre tried to explain their situation.

"By OZ mobile suits hiding in a train car?" Rachel finished for him.

"Yes." He said, somewhat surprised by her knowledge of something that had just happened a few hours ago.

"Now I know what's going on. . .oh no, Heero's battle. . ." She just realized something major that would have shaped the entire course of the Gundam series.

"My battle?" Heero was a little curious.

"With Lieutenant Zechs Merquise. By coming here instead of continuing the ambush. . .it never happened." She said, looking a bit worried.

"With who?" They all seemed a bit confused.

"You never met him before, that's when first introductions were made. Oh no, and you never self-detonated!" Rachel said, looking at Heero. He blinked and said, "And? How does that change the future?"

"After your Gundam exploded, Trowa picked you up and left the battle, returning to his home with you to help you heal. You were unconscious for I think a month or more. When you woke Trowa filled you in on everything you missed. That's when you two first talked, and made Trowa laugh. . ." She remembered the episode clearly. "You told him to act on his emotions, so he did, and almost killed himself as well but was stopped by his si-uh, friend, Catherine." She said, almost giving away too much. Heero looked like he was deep in thought after what she said.

"So the whole timeline of our lives has already changed?" Quatre said.

"Most likely. While Heero never 'died', Trowa didn't rescue him and who knows what would have happened to him if he didn't. And since I got in the way, Duo and Quatre never returned to the Maganacs to rest and talk for a while about things and they weren't there to help them when OZ invaded."

"What!" Quatre jumped out of his chair and stared at Rachel in shock. Duo looked confused himself.

"Troops stopped by and planted bombs throughout the city and at midnight, they blew but the Maganac people had all evacuated to lower levels by that time. But the Maganac armies only attacked OZ to cover for you as you escaped, who knows what will happen now. . ." Quatre's eyes were wide with fear as she told him this.

"I have to go help them!" Quatre said quickly as he desperately ran toward his Gundam.

"Quatre, wait!" Duo called out, getting up as well.

"You won't have a chance if you go now! They've planted the bombs by now, and they're stationed just outside the perimeter of the city, you'll never be able to get in alive!" Rachel shouted. Duo turned back to her and said, "Then what do we do?"

"Well. . ." She wasn't really sure. Heero looked up from his thinking and said, "I know where there are some cargo planes near here, we can fly over to that and head over as a group. My Gundam's low on fuel but I could give you two cover fire while you attack the OZ battalion." Heero said, offering his help. By now Quatre was in his Gundam and pressing buttons to get it started.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste! Midnight is only 3 hours away!" Quatre yelled before he closed his cockpit door. Duo ran toward his own Gundam but paused and turned to look back at Rachel, still standing by the fire looking a bit lost in the scramble. He grit his teeth and called out to her.

"Rachel, come on! You can fly with me!" She blinked in confusion as she yelled back, "But your Gundam only has room for-"

"Just COME ON!" He yelled back. She decided now wasn't the time to argue so she just went along with it, running as fast as she could to the Gundam. Heero watched them from his own suit as Duo helped her up into the cockpit. She ended up sitting on his lap, which neither of them seemed to mind, and Duo closed the hatch door, as did Heero after mentally laughing at how awkward it looked to be doing that.

"Alright, hold onto me, I don't want you to get hurt if we hit some rough spots." Duo said as the Gundams all took off and headed for the open air. Rachel held onto his harness first but Duo let go of the steering for a second and moved her hands up to his neck, saying, "I said hold onto 'me'." With a wink, he grinned and returned to his piloting. She did as he said and got comfortable for the ride.

"Down there, that's where the planes are being stored." Heero said. They were approaching what looked like an abandoned OZ station, still being cautious in case it was a trap. Heero landed first and jumped out of his Gundam, racing toward the building to scout around for any unwanted company. Duo and Quatre landed together just as the hangar door to the station opened and out came a cargo plane, piloted by Heero of course. He stopped the plane by the two Gundam pilots and opened the loading hatch, allowing them to get their Gundams settled in for the trip. Heero ran back inside, getting a plane for his own Gundam, and came back out, loading it up inside.

"Heero, can you read me, over? Testing, testing, one two three. . .abc. . .one two three. . .♪do re me, abc, one two three, baby you and me♪-"

Duo. . . Heero responded.

"Yeah?"

Shutup. Duo laughed and said, "Okay, the comlink works."

"We should hurry, we don't know how much time has changed, anything could have happened by now. . ." Quatre said as he ran up and jumped into the pilot's seat, starting the system and engines. Duo sat down in the co-pilots seat and said, "All systems check; you may want to take a seat, Rachel."

"Oh, right." She snapped out of her trance and sat down in a chair across from Duo, watching them get the plane ready for take off.

"Alright, and we're off!" Duo said as the plane took off into the air. As the plane leveled off to a steady flight, Duo got out of his seat and smiled at Rachel.

"So, you enjoying the ride? I'm sure you've never been in one of these." Duo said cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's okay. Actually, I was enjoying the ride as soon as I got into your Gundam!" She admitted, "That thing is so awesome! I wish I knew how to pilot one. I've always wanted to fly a Gundam!"

"You wanna learn the controls? I can show you!" He said, and then grabbed her hand. She quickly unbuckled as she was dragged out of the cockpit and into the hangar.

"Deathscythe, say hello to Rach, you gave her a ride earlier!" Duo said, his voice echoing joyfully in the vast compartment holding the two mobile suits. Rachel smiled as he ran up to the suit and jumped onto it, running his hands over its armored body. She watched him happily until he called to her.

"Hey, come on up, he won't bite!" Duo winked. Rachel walked toward the suit and started to climb up when a hand appeared in front of her face. She looked up into Duo's smiling face.

"Here, let me help you." She took his hand and he pulled her up. Stumbling, she fell forward and he caught her.

"Oh, heh, I'm so clumsy. . ." She said, fighting the urge to blush as she stood on her own. Duo just grinned more, looking very willing to catch her anytime. She looked down at the suit in embarrassment and said, "So, you gonna show me how this baby works or what?"

"Oh, right!" He jumped up onto the suit's chest and pushed a button by the hatch. The door opened and he said, "Okay, so I guess you pretty much figured out the seating arrangements already. How much do you know from the, um, show?" Duo asked, still not used to the fact that his life was a cartoon. She joined him and said, "Not much, I never really paid attention to the controls when you used them."

"Ah, watching the pilot and not the piloting?" Duo said. She smiled shyly and said, "Something like that."

"Okay then, let me start with the basics. . ." Duo went on to explain the controls and all the buttons on the panels inside. Rachel just listened intently and made comments now and then to get him to explain more.

__

Even if I do already know most of this, it's always better to let the guy tell you. Makes them feel intelligent, hehe. . .Rachel thought to herself as she watched the boy happily babble on about the system. Finally, he looked up at her and noticed her staring at him. He blinked and said, "What, did I say too much? I'll explain it a little simpler. . ."

"No, I got it." She said quickly, not wanting to hear it another time.

"Okay. Hey, pop quiz! I'll jump out and you tell me what all of it is!" He said, climbing out and helping Rachel in.

"If you insist. . ." She said, settling into the seat.

"Right, now what's that?" Duo asked, pointing to one of the buttons.

"The comlink."

"And that?"

"Radar."

"Right, and that?" The Q and A session went on for several minutes as Quatre sat in the cockpit of the plane worriedly thinking of his friends.

__

I hope they're all right. . .Quatre thought as he checked his fuel level. Just then, the comlink buzzed and he looked up.

"Hmm? Oh, Heero." He said to himself. Pressing the red flashing button on the panel in front of him, a visual popped up on the screen to his left and he said, "Is there a problem, Heero?"

No, I was just checking on you. How are things over there? The morbid face responded.

"Well, systems checked out fine; fuel levels normal and all is stable."

And your company?

"Oh, Rachel went into the hangar with Duo. He wanted to show her his Gundam."

I'm sure he did. . . Heero snidely remarked.

"Huh?" Quatre said, not understanding Heero's crude humor comment.

Nevermind. According to the coordinates you gave me we should be coming up on the city in about an hour. Keep your scanners on in case there's any OZ troops out this far, we don't want to be ambushed ourselves before we get a chance to ambush them, like last time. . .

"Right, I'll keep my eye out for anything."

10-4, over and out. Heero's face disappeared and the dark sky outside reappeared.

__

We're coming, Rashid, hold on. . .


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I still don't own Gundam Wing, despite my plots to take over Bandai company…hehe…and I don't own any of the Gundams. Seriously, I don't have any of the models…sobs as she whimpers "Deathscythe…" I also don't own the manga "Episode Zero" or the character Odin. . .someone beat me to their past stories…grumbles as she chucks her sketches of the Gundam pilots' lives

Chapter 3

"Master Quatre hasn't returned yet, sir." One of the Maganac soldiers responded, taking off his shades to look at his superior.

"Alright, thank you, Abdul." The tall general of the Maganac army turned away and looked out the window of his meeting room.

__

May you be safe wherever you are, Master Quatre. . .the man thought as he looked up at the full moon with a sigh of worriment.

"General Rashid?"

"Hmm?"

"The boxes around the city, sir, do you know where they came from?"

"Oh yes, we had some visitors from OZ, they left them behind when they departed."

"What are in them?"

"Bombs."

"What! SIR!"

"Do not worry, my friend, everyone has begun to evacuate to the lower levels of the city where they will wait out the explosion. You should join your friends and family, there is nothing more we can do now."

"Yes, sir." The soldier then departed to journey to the storage bay for the Maganac fleet. Rashid returned to his stargazing.

"Nearly there, just a few more miles. . .this sandstorm is getting worse by the minute." Quatre said. He was woken from his driving trance by the blips of objects on the radar. Looking up, he saw the beginnings of what he assumed was the awaiting OZ troops posted outside the city. He was about to contact Heero to warn him but saw the other plane veer to the right, heading for cover. He followed it and they both landed on a patch of sand, out of the storm. Quatre powered down and unbuckled just as he received a transmission from the other vessel.

"Yes, Heero?"

We can't fly in any further without being detected, lucky for us that sandstorm out there is messing with their radars. Heero responded, a little fuzzy from bad reception.

"Should we depart in our Gundams and attack them now or after the city blows?" Duo asked as he entered the cockpit with Rachel behind him. Quatre cringed at Duo's blatant comment.

Before, they won't be expecting it then. Heero answered.

"Too busy watching the city?"

Something like that. I won't be able to join you till this sandstorm settles down a little more and I can fly in a little closer. Head over now, it's ten minutes before midnight.

"Right, over and out!" Duo said. Quatre shut off the comlink and said, "Please be careful, I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"What, me not be careful? I'm insulted!" Duo said, touching his chest and leaning in a hurt way. Quatre ignored his response and turned to Rachel.

"Are you going to be alright here alone?" Quatre asked.

"Sure, I don't think they'll find me." She responded.

"Alright, be back in a jiffy!" Duo said, waving and running back into the hangar. Rachel grabbed Quatre's sleeve as he walked by her and said, "Be careful out there, you don't know what to expect." He smiled and said, "I will, thank you." Then walked out to join Duo. Rachel ran over to the control panel and activated the comlink.

"Duo, can you hear me?" She said.

Yeah? What is it? He said.

"Tell me when you need the hangar door opened, okay?"

Oh, right, thanks! Right now is good, I think Q-man is in his Gundam by now. Duo said cheerfully.

"Okay. . ." She pushed the hangar button and said just before shutting down the comlink, "Be careful, Duo."

With multiple explosions, the city shook and fell, much to the OZ troop's glee.

"All OZ troops, advance-" As the lieutenant leading the battalion was giving commands, ammunition fire sprayed the back of the attack force, causing many of the suits to explode into burning rubble.

"Darn, we missed our cue. . ." Duo said sarcastically, firing at two more mobile suits that soon after fell to the ground in flames.

Let's finish this, the sandstorm is thinning out! Quatre said to Duo as he slashed suit after suit in half with his Heat Shotels. In desperation, the lieutenant shouted to the troops, "About face, TURN AROUND! Enemy fire from behind!" The soldiers danced around in confusion as Duo shot through the gathering of suits and caused an uproar of chaos to ensue among the troops. Visibility still low, the soldiers began to mistake their fellow pilots as the enemy and shot each other.

"No, you idiots, they're behind us!" The lieutenant yelled in frustration. Suddenly from within a tornado of sand, the Sandrock Gundam slashed through the Lieutenant's mobile suit with two swings of his Shotels.

"AAAHH!" the last words from the lieutenant before his death echoed in the pilots' ears, causing the melee to erupt with scrambling troops attempting to retreat.

"Where do you think you're going? COWARDS!" Duo mockingly yelled as he chased after some fleeing suits.

"Duo, leave them! They won't make it on their own fuel very far." Quatre called to his friend. Reluctantly, Duo ceased his attack and watched the remaining troops disappear into the sandstorm. As the two Gundams stood watching the city burn, the ground began to shake and an opening appeared in the sand as five Maganac mobile suits emerged from the hole.

"Woah, the desert just gave birth. . ." Duo joked as he watched the suits come out to greet them.

Master Quatre! We heard battling up here and came to investigate! Came a message from one of the pilots.

"Ahmad! Am I glad to see you! Sorry I'm late, I hope I didn't worry you too much." Quatre cheerfully responded, glad to hear the voices of his friends.

Master Quatre, Rashid was worried for you, he sent us to search for you for hours! Another of the pilot's said.

"Is everyone okay?" Quatre asked.

Yeah, we managed to get underground before the bombs went off.

__

So she was right after all. . .it wasn't a trap. . .Quatre thought.

Master Quatre, come inside and refuel, I'm sure you're in need of repairs! A pilot cheerfully offered.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am. I have some friends with me who need help as well, if that is okay with you guys." A slew of confirmations echoed into Quatre's ears and he laughed.

__

It's good to be home. Quatre thought with a smile.

Hey, Quatre, what's going on? Duo said.

"These are my friends, they're going to help us and give us some supplies while we stay the night. Go back and get Heero and Rachel and meet me inside, Auda will wait for your return." Quatre said as he followed the other Maganac inside. Duo nodded and headed back to where the planes were hidden.

"I hope they're okay. . ." Rachel said to herself, boredly staring out the viewing window in the cockpit. She crossed her arms over the edge of the control panel, resting her chin on it and tilting her head to the side, sighing, as all she could watch outside was gusts of sand. She pursed her lips in thought and then one thought in particular perked her eyebrows. She cocked her head to the other side and stared at the comlink button next to her.

"I wonder what Heero's doing right now. . .probably doing system checks on his gundam if I know him. . ." She said, sticking her tongue out at the button. Then she grinned and said, "How many times in life do people get to talk to cartoons? Not many! Let's see what our little soldier is doing. . ." She sat up straight and pressed the button, saying, "Hey Heero, you there? Or are you off somewhere cleaning your gun?" She couldn't help grinning at her own comment. There wasn't a response and that brought a frown to her face.

__

Well aren't we rude. . .I guess I shouldn't have expected him to answer. Rachel thought as she frowned at the button as if it would transmit her attitude to him as well. She tried to think of some things to say to get his attention and she grinned again, another plot to prod a response out of him popping into her mind.

"So, Heero, I was wondering, do you have any family that you can remember? There was never really anything in the mangas and shows to insinuate whether you did or not. Though there was that one manga about the beginning called 'Episode Zero', it had the life stories of how your lives were before you became Gundam pilots. You were being, somewhat, 'trained' by a man named Odin. . .I can't recall his last name though. Do you remember him? He killed you. Well, not you, but the real Heero Yuy. Do you remember him?" She paused for a response but the line was still dead. She made a face again, figuring he probably wasn't there so she decided just to keep talking, just so she wasn't bored.

"He must have meant a lot to you, you even based your whole life on something he told you just before he died. He told you to always act on your emotions, and you passed that philosophy on to Trowa in the series. I guess you'll never get the chance to now, seeing that I messed everything up for you guys. He really looks up to you, Trowa that is. Don't tell him I said that, he might get embarrassed or something. I guess you're not there. . .you haven't said anything. I don't blame you; I wouldn't want to talk about someone who wasn't alive anymore if they meant a lot to me. Oh, I hope I didn't make you angry, I was just. . .kind of lonely over here. I'm not used to being anywhere without someone I know. I mean, I know you but you don't know me. . .great, I'm turning into Duo. Sorry to have talked so much, I'll leave you alone now. I know you hate it when someone talks like they circular breathe, never ending talking. Well, enjoy the silence, bye. Er, I mean, over and out." She leaned over the control panel again as she said to herself, "Well, that was a nice one-way conversation. This is gonna be SO much fun. I wonder how long I'll be here, or if this is even real or just a dream. The last thing I can remember is going to bed after staying up till 3 in the morning reading Gundam Wing Fanfics. . .that was smart, I probably got my hyperactive imagination going a mile a minute! This has to be a dream, how else could I be here!" Just as she was about to take a short catnap, she heard the familiar rumble of Mobile suit thrusters and stood up to see Deathscythe appear out of the dissipating sandstorm. She smiled and pressed the comlink, saying, "Boy, am I glad to see YOU! Is everything okay?"

Yeah, Quatre sent me back to get you guys, his friends are going to give us a place to rest till morning and get our Gundams fueled up. Duo replied.

"Sweet! I'll open the hangar for you!" She said cheerfully, pressing the release button to let the hangar gate fall open. She heard the gundam land and she figured it was safe now to close the door. As she did, Duo came into the cockpit and said, "Hey, did ya miss me?" With a wink, he sat down next to Rachel in the pilot's chair. She just smiled as he started the engines and prepared for takeoff.

"Did you tell Heero we were going?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I just said let's go and he said okay. He sounded upset though, I wonder what's wrong. For him to show emotions, must be something bad. . ." Rachel gulped and sunk down in her seat.

__

So he did hear me. . .man, I'm dead. . .Rachel thought as she closed her eyes and moaned.

"You made it, good! Everyone, I'd like you to meet my good friend, Rashid." Quatre said happily to the two gundam pilots and their guest.

"It's good to meet allies of Master Quatre." The tall Arab said in a low and confident voice.

"Hey, thanks for giving us a place to stay, it's awfully generous of you in your current living conditions, are you sure it's okay?" Duo said.

"We are honored to give what we can to you and Master Quatre. What are your names?" Duo stepped forward to introduce himself first, grinning as he did.

"Duo! I may run and hide but I never tell a lie-Duo Maxwell!" Duo said, almost bringing a feeling of dejá vú to Rachel.

"My name is Heero." Heero simply responded, not making eye contact as he scanned the spacious room full of people happily and sadly chattering away about many things, but mainly the explosion.

"My name is Rachel. Thank you for your hospitality, sir." She said, bowing to Rashid, trying to do as the Japanese always seemed to do when grateful.

"It is good to meet all of you, follow me and I will show you to where you can stay the night." Rashid said, turning to lead the group to their sleeping quarters.

"And what about our Gundams?" Duo asked as he followed.

"Our engineers will repair them for you while you rest. Come." Rashid said over his shoulder. As they walked through the crowds, Rachel sneaked a peek at Heero's expression. He looked miserable, for him, and she felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

__

I'm not gonna sleep tonight. . .Rachel thought, almost imagining the cold touch of Heero's gun against her head as he pulled the trigger. The thought sent a chill up her spine and she shivered, slowly rubbing her arms and looking straight ahead, sure that Heero saw it.

"You okay?" Duo asked Rachel, walking up beside her after noticing her shake.

"Yeah, I just got a little chilly. I get cold at anything below 70 degrees Fahrenheit." She said with a chuckle. Duo laughed too and said, "Where do you live?"

"Florida, 'The Sunshine State'." She said with a smile.

"Florida? Where's that in America?"

"It's down in the lower right area; it's a peninsula. I live almost at the tip, on the right side of the state, just an hour away from the ocean."

"Wow, I haven't heard of the name but I guess things are a little different in your, um, time." Duo said, trying to keep his voice down so no one would hear him but her.

"Hmm. . ." She looked down at the ground and sighed.

__

Things definitely are different, that's for sure. Rachel thought. Just as she was ready to let another sigh out, Rashid stopped and said, "You can choose from these rooms to sleep in; we haven't used them in a while since there hasn't been much reason to. If you need anything, just come to me or one of the men around can most likely assist you." At that, he walked away and left the group to do as they pleased.

"Well, might as well get some sleep while we can. See ya later!" Duo said, waving as he walked into one of the rooms and closed the door.

"I see he doesn't waste any time!" Quatre said, chuckling.

"Do you guys know each other very well?" Rachel asked, curious how close they had gotten.

"Not really, I know his name but not much more than what I've learned by being with him earlier tonight. Heero is pretty much a mystery to me. . ." Quatre said, pointing to him with his thumb.

"Ah, I see. . ."

"Well, I should be getting to bed as well and so should you. Goodnight, Rachel." Quatre said, smiling before turning to go into one of the rooms. Rachel waved to him and then turned to see Heero was still standing nearby, staring at the floor and occasionally her. She blinked and felt another chill run up her spine, but shrugged it off as she smiled at him and said, "Goodnight, Heero." As she walked toward a room, she heard him say, "Why did you say all of that."

"Hmm?" She looked back to see him walking away to a room. Sadly, she sighed and thought to herself as she entered the room and closed the door, _What have I done. . ._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not, for the gazillionth time, own Gundam Wing or the theme song…or anything…for that matter…

Chapter 4

"♪Just wild beat. . .communication, ame ni. . .utare nagara, iroasenai. . .atsui omoi, karada-juu de tsutaetai yo tonight!♪" Rachel sang to herself in perfect key as she attempted to tidy up her messy hair, combing it out with her fingers. As she closed her eyes and rocked slowly back and forth, she continued to sing.

"♪nureta. . .sono kata wo, atatameru you ni daita, furuete'ru yubisaki wa, nani wo motomesama you no? togire. . .togirete mo, tsutaete hoshii itami wo, sameta furi suru koto de, otona ni. . .nante. . .narenai. . .♪"

"Who says." Rachel snapped her eyes open and looked at her open doorway.

"I. . .I thought I was alone." Rachel said, jumping off her bed and facing her visitor. Heero just stared back calmly, not moving from his relaxed lean against the doorframe. With a blink, Rachel said, "How did you know what I said?"

"It's my native language, remember?" Heero said, almost surprised at her question.

"Oh right, you're Japanese, duh. . ." Rachel said, rolling her eyes. She turned away and stared at the wall; nervous from the cold stare Heero was giving her. She heard Heero shift his position and walk toward her, closing the door. She gulped slowly as he said, "I wanted to have a talk with you." Rachel spun around and said quickly, "I'm sorry about last night, I didn't mean to be annoying! I wasn't trying to hurt you, honest, I was just curious! I really didn't mean any harm, please don't kill me." She winced a little at those last words, turning her face to the side slowly. Heero blinked at her sudden rush of apologies as if trying to take it all in. He looked down at the gun tucked tightly in the top of his spandex shorts and pulled it out. Looking at it briefly, he tossed it onto the bed and looked back at Rachel, who had a look of surprise on her face.

"I said I wanted to talk, not kill you." Heero said snidely. Rachel relaxed a bit and shifted her cringed stance to a more confident looking posture.

"Okay. . .what do you want to talk about?" She said, trying not to sound scared.

"About. . .my past. You said some things that only I would have known and I want to know, who told you about that?" Heero said, looking sternly at her.

"No one told me, I read it from a story!"

"Story? Do you mean file?"

"No, I mean story. I said that in my world your-"

"Those idiots might believe your little 'alternate dimension' story, but I don't. Now are you going to be good and tell me or do I have to get a little more 'persuasive'." Heero said, stepping closer to her. She stepped back and said, "It's not a story, it's true! Heero, I am from-"

"I guess that answers my question." He reached for her arm and she dove for the bed, grabbing the gun and aiming it at Heero's chest.

"Look, shorty, I'm not lying to you!" Rachel yelled angrily, her eyes almost burning with insult and rage. Heero stared at her, his eyes pulled tight into small slits.

"What did you call me?"

"You. . .you heard me! Shorty! Yeah, I said that! You are short! I mean, you're only 5 feet tall!"

"5 foot, 1. . ." Heero growled.

"Excuse me, 5' 1". Still, I'm 4 inches taller than you are and you're trying to intimidate me? I also have a weight advantage over you, Mr. 99 pound featherweight. I mean, sure, you can probably kill me with your pinky but still. . ." Heero couldn't help grinning at the comment, thinking how true that was. A knock was heard at the door and Rachel jumped, yelling, "COME IN, PLEASE!" Heero growled as Duo hopped into the room, happily saying, "GOOD MORN-neh? Woah, what the!" Rachel got to her feet, throwing the gun across the room as she ran to Duo, hiding behind him as she held on tight to his arms. He looked shocked as he stared at Heero and said, "Heero, what's going on!"

"Nothing." Heero mumbled as he walked over and picked up his gun, turning and walking toward the door. Rachel backed out of the room and into the hallway, dragging Duo with her much to his confusion. She stopped a few feet from the door, against the wall, as Heero exited the room and walked down the hall toward his Gundam, not looking back for a second. Both Duo and Rachel watched him disappear into the crowd before heaving a quiet sigh. Duo pulled free of Rachel's iron grip and turned to face her, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking deep into her eyes.

"Rachel, why the heck did you have a gun pulled on Heero! Are you TRYING to get yourself killed?" Duo asked in a demanding voice, his eyes wild with shock.

"N-no. . ."She mumbled quietly, looking down at the floor. Blinking, Duo said in a little calmer tone, "Then why were you-"

"He was going to hurt me, it was the only way I could defend myself against him! Have you ever seen him fight? I could have been dead in less than a second!" She yelled suddenly, looking up at Duo with fear and tear filled eyes, gritting her teeth to hold back the lump forming in her throat. Duo leaned back a little and said, "He was going to hurt you? Why?"

"Cause. . .cause. . .because I knew something he didn't like me knowing! sob Oh Duo, please don't let him hurt me!" She fell against his chest, clutching his clothing in her fists as she buried her face in his shoulder. He stared at her for a minute, still shocked at her outbursts, but slowly he laid his arms over her quivering back, attempting to the best of his abilities to comfort her. Slowly and soothingly rubbing her back, he said, "I won't, don't worry. You've got Duo Maxwell on your side! And that's a promise." He pulled her closer and gave her a hug, not letting go as she wrapped her arms tightly around his back. He felt a little awkward trying to comfort her, since he was an inch shorter than Heero, but he did anyway. After a few minutes, Quatre came briskly jogging up to them, saying, "What happened? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Hey, are our Gundams ready to go? We oughta head out and find that Trowa kid that Heero was talking about, he might need our help." Duo said, keeping Rachel's little confrontation a secret, for her sake and his sleeve's.

"They're fueled and loaded up, we can leave as soon as we're ready. Rashid and a few of the soldiers here are loading some food onto the cargo planes for us to eat on our journey." Quatre said, still looking at Rachel.

"Great, we'll be right on over in a sec." Duo said, hinting for Quatre to leave. He nodded and walked back toward the thinning crowds to return to the transports. As soon as he was out of sight, Rachel stood up straight and sniffed, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. Duo watched her as he said, "You gonna be okay? Want me to go beat Heero up for ya?" She laughed a little and said, "No, it's okay, I'm fine. Thank you for being so nice, though. You're a whole lot cooler in person, you know that?" He smiled and said, "Nah, never really noticed." Taking her hand, he started walking in the direction of the planes, saying, "Come on, we don't wanna keep them waiting too long, Quatre might get worried."

"Yeah, let's go." She smiled and followed Duo into the crowds. After saying their goodbyes and thank-yous to the Maganac people, they took off on their journey to find Trowa.

"So, where do you think this guy is hiding out?" Duo said, his hands behind his head as he reclined in his seat, looking over at Quatre.

"I don't know, I was hoping Heero had an idea so I've been pretty much following him." Quatre admitted, steadying the plane as a few updrafts played around the wings, making them bounce back and forth. Duo tapped his foot on the floor in a thoughtful manner and looked over at Rachel. She still looked a little sad but at least the puffiness from her crying had gone away.

__

I wonder what she said to him to make him go off like that. Duo thought as he watched her stare off into space, most likely deep in thought about something. With an inward sigh, he turned his attention to a button overhead that seemed to be flashing for some reason. With a frown, he said, "Hey, Quatre, is that button suppose to be blinking?"

"Huh?" Quatre looked to where Duo was pointing and said, "No. . .that's the warning light for the cargo door. Maybe it's not closed completely."

"I'll go check." Duo said, hopping up out of his seat and strolling over to the door leading into the cargo hold. Rachel snapped out of her trance and turned to look up at Duo, saying, "Where are you going?"

"Just checking on something, I'll be right back." With a smile he walked through the door and shut it behind him. Sadly, she turned back around and sighed, staring out at the endless sky in front of them. Quatre glanced over at her from the corner of his eye and said, "Are you alright? You look sad."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." She said, trying to smile to reassure Quatre. It didn't fool him a bit.

"You know, even if Duo is your favorite, that doesn't mean he's the only guy who gives a care about anyone." She quickly looked over at him and said, "How did you-" Quatre smiled.

"I kind of guessed he was by the way you've been acting. Letting him teach you about gundam controls, talking with him about things you won't with me, smiling at him for no reason, riding with him in his gundam. . ."

"Now see, the last one wasn't my choice. . ." Rachel said in her defense.

"And you can honestly tell me you wouldn't have picked him if it were your choice?" Quatre asked with an innocent smile.

"Well. . .no. . .but it still wasn't my choice. And how would you know if I smile at him? Have you been watching me?" Quatre blushed and said, "I, er. . .uh, I wasn't sure if I could. . .trust you. . ."

"Suuuure. . .and I'm sure that's just a skin condition making your cheeks turn red." She said with a grin, pointing at Quatre's flush face. Looking away, he said shyly, "I have medication for it. . ." Rachel giggled and curled up in her seat, satisfied that she won the discussion. Her smile faded as she said, "You won't tell Duo, will you?"

"If you don't tell him about my 'skin condition'. . ." Quatre said with a grin. She smiled back and said, "I won't, I promise." Just then, Duo came back in and said, "That stupid door is stuck on something but I think it'll hold till we can get to a place to fix it."

"I think we're coming up on a small city where we can land and do something about it, maybe stay a few hours to catch up on the news of what's been going on." Quatre said.

"Great, sounds good to me. Tell Heero so he doesn't keep going without us." Duo said, sitting down in his seat. Quatre pushed the com button and said, "Heero, we're going to stop at the city coming up, we're having problems with our cargo bay door."

"Yeah, the darn thing won't lock shut." Duo added.

Alright, I need to check the engines over here anyway, they're giving me some trouble with the altitude we're at. Heero responded.

"10-4." Quatre shut off the link and continued his piloting.

"Oh, I hope his plane will make it. . ." Rachel said, a little worried about Heero's engine troubles. Duo looked a little surprised by her show of concern.

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I don't get it, why would she be worried about him after what he tried to do to her this morning? Duo thought as he stared at the worry in her eyes as she watched the plane beside and a little in front of them.

"Alright, now we agreed to meeting back here at 11, right?" Quatre said as he landed in the city's only dock for planes, shutting down the engines and unbuckling.

"Yeah yeah, I know. Come on, let's go see what's in this dinky little place!" Duo said, jumping out of his seat and grabbing Rachel's hand. She waved goodbye to Quatre as she ran with Duo into the belly of the plane. Duo kicked on the door to help it on its opening and it fell open, thumping to the ground and shaking the plane a little. He cringed as he heard Quatre's faint yelling, "What was that!"

"Uh, NOTHING!" Duo yelled quickly to Quatre, then leaning over to Rachel, said, "Let's go!" He took off down the ramp as Rachel laughed and ran with him. As they reached the bottom, they ran into Heero who was walking over from his plane. They came to a quick halt and Duo said, "What do you want?"

"Is Quatre still inside? I need money in case I need to buy new parts for that piece of junk." Heero said, motioning to his plane.

"Yeah, he's just finishing final systems shutdown. We're gonna head into the city to get the latest news on the war, see ya!" Duo said, pulling Rachel with him as he ran out of the docking bay and into the streets of the city. Duo laughed as they strolled down the sidewalk away from the dock, saying, "I wonder which piece of junk he was talking about: the plane or his Gundam!"

"Hey, the Wing Gundam isn't a piece of junk! It's the best gundam of the five sent on Operation Meteor!" Rachel pointed out to Duo.

"What! No way, Deathscythe is WAY better!" Duo argued.

"Maybe in the looks department but when it comes to weapons and armor, Wing leaves yours in the dust."

"How do you figure that?" Duo asked, sounding insulted.

"Well, Deathscythe has better fighting and speed, but not by much. Actually, each Gundam only beats out the other by about 10 points on abilities. Except for power, you're tied at 120 points."

"Boy, you know an awful lot about their abilities!"

"Heh, I read the stats on all the mobile suits in the series. Hey, I was bored, so sue me. . ."

"So you memorized the capabilities of ALL our Gundams?"

"Yep, and make and model number and all that good stuff."

"Really. Well okay, tell me, who's gundam COULD I beat with mine?"

"If it's close combat, you could beat Heavyarms. It kicks butt at long-range combat with its huge arsenal of missiles, cannons, and guns but face-to-face. . .it's just pathetic. Really slow compared to yours, being the fastest of the Gundams."

"Sweet. Who's the pilot of Heavyarms?"

"Trowa Barton."

"Oh, that guy we're looking for? Why does Heero want to find him so badly anyway?"

"I might have an idea but it's personal, I don't think he would appreciate me telling you."

"You know, I was wondering, why are you being so nice about Heero? He tried to kill you and yet you're acting like he's your friend!"

"It's simple. I forgave him." Duo stopped in his steps and turned to Rachel.

"You forgave him?" Duo said in a shocked voice.

"It's what God says to do. He said to forgive your brother 'Until seventy times seven'. Which means I can stop forgiving Heero after his 490th sin against me." She said with a wink. They continued to walk as Duo stuffed his hands into his pockets and said, "Wow, that's a lot of times. . .what if you lose track of how many times he's sinned against you? Will God give you a reminder or something?" With a giggle, Rachel said, "I guess I'd have to start all over again. Either that or just continue to forgive him and forget about keeping track. Cause you know, if you truly have forgiven someone, you won't remember what they did and hold it against them."

"But then you'd be forgiving him till the end of time!"

"Oh well, I don't really have anything better to do." Rachel grinned. She stepped up next to Duo and put her arm around his with a happy smile. He smiled back and, changing the subject, said, "Doesn't it bother you that I'm shorter than you?"

"No, not really. Besides, you're not that much shorter than me."

"Are you kidding! I almost come up to your nose but that's about it! I'm a midget. . ." Duo said with a frown. She hugged him and said, "You just haven't hit your growth spurt yet! Give it time, before too long you'll be as tall as Zechs!"

"Who?" Duo said, looking confused.

"Nevermind." She said, rolling her eyes, "You know, you're almost as good as me when it comes to changing the subject!"

"Oh really? I thought I was the reigning champ." Duo said, flexing his muscles and making Rachel laugh. As they laughed, they came across a TV in a store window playing one of the local news stations. Duo stopped and watched the TV as a newscaster popped up on the screen and said, "And next in our news, a report of mobile suits on the rampage. OZ has been terrorizing local cities and destroying every effort made to stop them by the civilians and rebel groups posted in the areas. High fatality rate has risen significantly in the area in the past few days, more news at 12. And on to lighter news, a kitten was saved from a 40 foot tree earlier today. . ." Duo stepped back from the window with a look of anger on his face.

"While we're out here looking for some bum, people are getting slaughtered by those OZ scum." Duo said, anger rising in his voice, "I can't stand this."

"Duo, there's not much we can do right now without more help. I really think we should find Trowa, he'd be a major help if we ever got in trouble." Duo sighed and started to walk back toward the dock.

"We should head back, it's almost 11."

"Okay." Rachel said, lowering her head a little. She looked back at the store for a second and something caught her eye a few stores down. Coming out of a grocery store. . .

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Could it be? Rachel stopped and ran back down the sidewalk toward the store.

"Hey, where are you going?" Duo called after her, soon following suit. As she got closer to see the person better, she confirmed her suspicions, it was who she thought it was.

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Now don't call out to him, that's what they always do in shows and what does the person do? Run, of course, so don't call to him. Grab him, then say his name. Rachel said to herself as she got about 10 feet away from him. Of course, he had noticed her running down the sidewalk and had started to walk in the opposite direction toward a crowd. She noticed this and muttered, "Oh no you don't. . ." She quickly dashed forward and got about 3 feet away when he broke into a run.

"Wait, come back!" She finally shouted, figuring she'd never be fast enough to catch him now. As they ran through the crowded streets, Duo attempted to catch up to them, getting a little worn out from the sudden marathon through the city.

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Why the heck is she chasing that guy! Wait, could he be. . .no way, out in the open like this? And what would the chances be of docking in the same city he lived in! Duo thought as he tried desperately to catch up to Rachel and not lose her. He quickly looked down at his watch and saw that it was 2 minutes till 11.

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Uh oh, we're gonna be late at this rate! Duo thought again, looking back up to see where Rachel was. But to his surprise, she had disappeared along with the boy she had been chasing. Duo stopped dead in his tracks and looked around. Cursing under his breath, he said, "Great, where'd she go! Man, I can't waste time running around looking for her in this crowd, it would be pointless!" He decided to go back and get Heero and Quatre to help him. Running, he made it back to the dock, about 10 minutes late. Out of breath, he stumbled into the busy plane hangar and was spotted right away by the impatient Heero standing next to Quatre, who had been trying to give Heero excuses for why Duo was late.

"I guess you don't have any sense of time, baka." Heero said as Duo walked up.

"Duo, you're completely out of breath! Did you run all the way back here? And where's Rachel?" Quatre asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, I ran all the way back here, AFTER I tried to catch up to Rachel who decided to take off after some guy. I lost her in the crowds." Duo said, gasping for air as he bent over, holding onto his knees for support.

"Did you get a good look at this guy?" Heero asked.

"No, I couldn't get close enough. I guess he saw her coming and took off like a bullet. Man he was fast, I don't know how she could keep up with him!"

"Maybe we should go after them, it could be Trowa. Are you sure you didn't get a glance of him? Like did he have long brown hair that hung over his face?" Quatre asked.

"I'm not sure, there were people walking everywhere getting in the way. Have you seen him before?" Duo asked, looking up at his Arab friend.

"Yes, we met once. Quiet boy. . .I asked him what I could call him as he left and he said he didn't have a name but I could call him Trowa." Quatre answered, remembering when they had met.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm gonna go out there and look for her!" Duo said, walking back toward the dock doors to go back out.

"Wait, I'll come too! Heero, tell the dock tenants that we'll be right back!" Quatre said as he ran off to catch up to Duo.

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That girl is going to get us in trouble, running off like that without warning is like having a death wish. Heero thought to himself as he walked toward some uniformed men nearby to deliver the message.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters (not even Fluffy, Trowa's lion… )

Chapter 5

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Great, now which way did he go. . .this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been so stupid as to run right after him like I had a fire in my pants! Rachel thought to herself in annoyance. Then a thought popped in her mind. She stopped and ran up to one of the people walking down the street.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me, is there a circus in town?" She said to a mother walking with a little girl.

"Yes, it's just outside of town in the eastern meadow." The woman said, pointing down the road in the general direction.

"Thank you!" Rachel said, and took off down the road.

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Ha, think you're so smart, you didn't expect me to know where you hide out, did you? Rachel thought with a grin on her face.

"Hey Trowa, what's the big hurry?" A tall young woman with curly auburn hair and blue eyes said. The young boy stopped running and looked at the girl, saying, "I thought I'd be late for practice. Sorry about the groceries, Catherine, I might have lost a few on the run over." Trowa said as he handed her a crumpled paper bag. She stared at it with wide eyes as she looked gingerly through the produce, saying, "Good grief, you'd think that someone was chasing you!" Trowa didn't respond as he walked into the big tent. Catherine turned to him and yelled, "Hey, the boss wants you suited up and ready for the next show in 30 minutes!" As Trowa entered the changing room and began to undress to put his costume on, he heard talking outside the door and quietly pressed his ear against it to listen in.

"Excuse me, are you Catherine?"

"Yes, may I help you?"

"I was looking for someone, I think he dropped this."

"OH! My celery! Thank you!"

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How did she find me? Trowa thought to himself as he backed away from the door.

"He should be in here changing, let me check. knock knock Hey, Trowa, you in there?" Catherine knocked on the dressing room door and Trowa looked for a way to escape. He ran for one of the curtain walls and ducked under the bottom edge of it just as Catherine opened the door.

"Trowa? I guess he's not in here. . ." Catherine looked back and found herself alone.

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Huh? Where'd she go? Catherine thought as she looked back and forth in confusion at the empty tent.

"Trowa! Wait!" Rachel ran after the fleeing boy as he took off toward the lion cages. He quickly opened the cage door and jumped in, one of the lions getting up and walking up to him. Trowa faced Rachel as she froze and stared wide-eyed at him.

"Why are you chasing me? And how in the world did you find me?" Trowa asked, sounding a little shook up as he slowly stroked the lion's mane. Taking her focus off of the ferocious looking cat, she looked Trowa in the eyes and said, "My name is Rachel and I'm a friend of the other gundam pilots. We need your help!"

"Gundam pilots? Who are they? And what's a gundam?" Trowa said, trying to play dumb with his calm voice.

"Don't act like you don't know, you very well know! You're-" She looked around and said in a hushed voice, "You're the pilot of the Heavyarms Gundam. You were recently in a full assault on an OZ base but something went terribly wrong, more so than you think. Please, you have to trust me, Trowa, I'm not a spy or secret agent or whatever you probably think I am. I'm just an ordinary girl who just happened across three nice-mostly nice-gundam pilots who are in a heck of a lot of trouble! You remember Quatre Winner, don't you? You met him once a while ago." Trowa seemed to be a bit more serious as he stepped out of the cage and closed the door. Stepping up to her, still half-dressed from earlier, he said, "And how do I know you're not lying?"

"I. . .I honestly don't have anything I could say that would convince you, other than my word. I don't know if you noticed him or not but there was a boy most likely running after me. He's one of the Gundam pilots that I'm with, his name is Duo Maxwell and he pilots the Deathscythe. We were just stopping by the city for a few repairs and a catch up on the news about the war; Quatre and another of the pilots, Heero Yuy, are back in the docking station working on our cargo planes. By now they're probably looking for me because I disappeared and, well, frankly. . .Heero would rather not let me out of his sight. You can say we didn't get off on the right foot. If you don't believe me, then go look for yourself!"

"And you expect me to just walk over there and, possibly, right into a trap? I don't think any half-minded person would fall for such an old trick." Trowa crossed his arms. With a sigh, Rachel thought, _man, he's a lot more stubborn than he looks on the show! What am I gonna do?_

"Fine, don't come. I guess I'll just have to tell them that you didn't want to help. Go put your little clown mask on and give a few people some thrills while you can but when those OZ soldiers come and burn this city to the ground, it won't be our fault if you can't stop them by yourself. And when you fire your last round of ammunition at them, I hope you remember this and think how STUPID it was of you to act like a stuck up brat, just before you get slaughtered by the onslaught of mobile suits heading this way. Go on; go back to your hiding! This world doesn't need people like you defending it." In a fit of rage, she turned and stormed across the field back toward the city. Trowa stared slightly wide-eyed at her back, a little set back by her speech and completely at a loss of words.

"Where could she be! Oh why did she have to go running off like that. . ." Duo said as he walked along, looking desperately around at the crowd, feeling more and more hopeless every time he passed someone who he thought was Rachel.

"Maybe she'll make her way back, I'm sure she wouldn't have gone too far in a city like this." Quatre said, searching as well.

"She's not from here, Quatre! She could be in trouble and I can't do a thing about it!" Duo yelled suddenly. Quatre blinked and looked wide-eyed at Duo's angry face. Slowly, Duo heaved a sigh and hung his head, saying, "I'm sorry, man, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. It's just that. . .I really. . .I. . ." Quatre put a hand on Duo's shoulder and said with a sympathetic smile, "I'm sure she'll turn up sometime. Maybe if we asked a few people if they saw her, we might find her a little faster."

"I guess it's worth a try." Duo said, trying to smile. They started weaving through the crowds, asking every person they could if they had seen their friend.

"Excuse me, but have you seen a girl with long brown hair, a little taller than me?"

"Hey, can you help me, mister, I'm looking for a chick with brown hair and brown eyes, she ran through here earlier. . ."

"Please, ma'am, can you tell me if you saw a pretty brown haired girl about 5 and half feet tall run by here?"

"Did you see her? A girl? Brown hair? Awe, come on!" As Duo and Quatre ran from person to person, they seemed to lose more and more hope in ever finding their friend.

"Please, I really need to find her, she's never been out on her own before and-" Duo almost felt like crying when the person he was asking pointed across the street and said, "Is that her?" He whipped his head around and screamed, "RACHEL!" he didn't even bother to thank the person as he bolted through the crowds and ran up to the furious looking girl scowling at the sidewalk. His insanely happy smile disappeared as he said, "Rachel? What happened? Are you okay?" She looked up and glared at Duo, saying, "How could he be a Gundam pilot, he doesn't care about anyone but himself."

"Rachel, you're back!" Quatre said happily as he ran up to them, his smile fading as well when he saw her expression. She looked at him next and said, "Let's just go, it's not worth it staying here. . ." She started to walk again when Duo grabbed her arm and said, "Wait, do you know where he is though? You talked to him, right?" She ripped her arm free and said, "Yes I know where he is! He's a heartless clown in the circus! Right now he's out there hiding behind his mask trying to pretend to be someone he isn't, making people gasp in awe at his AMAZING show! But that's all it is, a show! That's ALL!" She felt like crying in frustration her knuckles turning white from her fists being so tightly clenched in front of her as she looked like she was choking Trowa's neck in her mind. As she huffed and grit her teeth to hold in another outburst, Duo calmly reached up and took hold of her fists, lowering them and said, "Rachel, you have to understand, he's a gundam pilot. We're not exactly well liked superheroes that get called into the line of duty whenever a person stubs their toe. You can't blame him for not jumping up and following you, that's just not how we were trained to act in a war situation. But maybe if you take us back there he'll listen to us, after all, he's met Quatre before so he has to believe you then. Please, help us find him."

"Why, he's. . .he's a brat." She said, lowering her voice as she watched the crowds stare. Duo noticed the eyes on them as well and took Rachel around the shoulders, walking in the direction she had come from with Quatre at their side.

"Well, so's Heero but we kind of need his talent and skill to stop these OZ guys. You can understand that, can't you?"

"I guess. But. . .why did he have to be so rude. . ." Rachel pouted and she crossed her arms and frowned.

"I'm sure he'll apologize when we tell him you weren't lying, he can't be that rude." Quatre said, trying to bring some optimism to the situation. Rachel sighed and said, "Fine. But they have a show starting in 15 minutes, so we'd have to wait till afterwards."

"Great, I could use some fun before we head back out to battle. Maybe they'll have cotton candy. . ." Duo said with a grin, trying to cheer Rachel up a little.

"And now, the amazing Catherine and her assistant Trowa!" The ringmaster yelled for the entire crowd to Ooo and ah at the knife throwing. Duo stuffed popcorn in his mouth as he watched Catherine land a few close to Trowa's face.

"Wow, she almost nailed him on that one!" Duo whispered to Rachel. She wasn't smiling. While the crowd cheered on the show, she stared at Trowa's deadpan face. But something kept her interested in watching him. While everything went on around him, he seemed to almost be in another world, daydreaming. Either that or still thinking about what she said to him. That made her feel a little better. At least her speech had hit through the mask he wore in front of her. Putting a few popcorn puffs in her mouth, she boredly flicked one into the air, catching Trowa's attention. Snapping out of his trance, he glanced over at her, his eyes going a bit wide as if he hadn't expected to see her again. She sarcastically smiled and waved.

"gasp Trowa, you moved!" Catherine hissed. Just now noticing, Trowa found a knife by his cheek pinning a lock of his hair to the wall, also leaving a slice in his skin where blood was now slowly trickling out. It was the last knife so he was unlocked from his shackles and he stepped forward to bow, the crowd still gasping and murmuring about the cut. As Trowa bowed, he glanced back into the crowd to find his visitors gone. Trowa walked off the stage and behind a curtain, finding the missing audience members waiting for him by the dressing room. His eyes fell a bit and he walked over to the three teens, one of which shoved the last of his popcorn into his mouth and munched away on it.

"Nice knife show, Trowa." Duo mumbled around the half chewed popcorn mush. He stopped in front of them and scanned their faces, stopping on Rachel's. She was staring at him with a cold look in her eyes, in hatred he thought, but she said, "You cut yourself." He gently touched his cheek and said in a quiet voice, "I lost some hair on that one."

"Are you free for now or is there a show coming up soon?" Quatre asked. He looked at the blonde haired boy and said, "You're Quatre, right?"

"Yes, I see you remember me." Looking again at Rachel and wiping the blood from his cheek, he said, "Yeah I'm free, I can tell the boss I'm taking off for a while. Joe can replace me while I'm away."

"Trowa! What happened out there? Why did you move!" Catherine came running up to him and stopped by his side, then looked over at the guests.

"I have to go away for a while, tell the master to replace me with Joe. I'll be back." Trowa said in a low voice.

"What? Where are you going?" Catherine said, looking worried.

"It's alright, we'll have him back in one piece for ya in no time!" Duo said with a grin. Trowa walked toward them and Catherine said, "But Trowa!"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Trowa said to her over his shoulder in a gentle voice. She sighed and then turned to the teenagers, saying, "You better bring him back in one piece or else you'll have me to deal with!" Rachel smiled at her comment. She always acted protective of Trowa, and Rachel knew why. After a few minutes, Trowa was changed and ready to go. He said goodbye to Catherine and followed them back to the city. As they walked through the crowds, Rachel could feel Trowa's gaze on the back of her neck.

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Geez, is he gonna stare at me the whole way there! Rachel thought as she got more annoyed than angry at Trowa. They entered the docking bay to find Heero sitting in Quatre and Duo's plane.

"Hey man, what are you doing over here?" Duo asked as they walked up to him. Heero looked like he was in a killing mood.

"I figured out what the engine troubles really were. The plane can't take the weight of my gundam, it's too old to carry anything more than crates." Heero said with a grunt of annoyance.

"Oh great, how do we get out of here now! We can't take the gundam out, someone will see it and get suspicious!" Duo whispered, in case anyone was listening.

"I know that, that's why I bought us another plane."

"B-bought? With what!"

"I sold them the other plane."

"Okay, that's great but. . .how do we get the gundam into the new plane without someone seeing it, genius!" Rachel stepped forward and said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder, "Um, it's already in the other plane, guys."

"What?" All the guys turned and stared at her.

"Who moved it?" Quatre asked as Heero ran out to check. She shrugged and looked at the hangar ceiling. Trowa stared at her in wonder as Quatre walked into the cockpit and said, "Well, in any case, we need to go stop by wherever Trowa has his gundam stored and pick it up."

"Where'd ya stash it, T-man?" Duo asked.

"At the circus, it's hiding under the tarp on one of the transport vehicles." Trowa said, still staring at Rachel.

"Hey, Quatre, you know the way back to the circus?" Duo said as he ran into the cockpit to tell the pilot where to go. Rachel and Trowa exchanged stares for a few seconds until Trowa said in his usual calm voice, "I guess you weren't lying after all."

"I guess so." She stepped up to him and touched his cheek, saying, "That looks pretty bad." She pulled her hand away and walked into the cockpit to join the other boys. Trowa's eyes followed her as he reached up to touch his cut. He blinked in surprise.

"Huh? Where'd it go?" His hand fell and he stared blankly at the cockpit door.

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Did she do that? But. . .how. . .


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Wing things or people or the show nor do I own their lives (All I own is my miserable excuse for a life….)

Chapter 6

"So, where to next?" Duo asked as he leaned against the side of the hangar door, watching Trowa load his gundam onto Heero's plane.

"According to what data I've managed to get on the battle, there should be a base somewhere nearby, about 24 miles due East. We should make it before dusk." Heero said, typing away on his laptop and taking in the information flashing across the screen like a supercomputer. Duo got a headache from watching the words whiz up the screen in a blur and turned to stroll down the ramp. He looked across the meadow and spotted Rachel walking slowly through the tall grasses, plucking flowers from the waves of green bending in the breeze. He grinned and stepped off into the grass, wading through the sea to join Rachel. As he got closer to her, he ducked down into the grass just as she turned.

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Huh? I thought I heard someone behind me. . .Rachel thought as she scanned the field. Not finding anything, she turned back around to continue her walk. Little did she know she was being stalked from within the blades of emerald rustling in her attacker's wake. Before she could do anything, Duo leapt from the grass and tackled Rachel. Quatre was watching them the whole time and let out a chuckle as the two went tumbling below the top of the grass. Trowa glanced over his shoulder after hearing the noisy teens wrestling in the field but went back to his work. Heero didn't even care. As Duo tried to pin the wiggling Rachel, he said, "Boy you sure can fight!" With her legs flailing around in the air, Duo couldn't get on top of her to hold her down. He lost his grip on her arm and she shoved him away, jumping to her feet and dashing back toward the planes. Duo scrambled to his feet and, like an elephant, tore through the field after her. She screamed, mostly in glee, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her before falling back into the grass, Rachel's legs flying up in the air as Duo hit the ground. The melee settled down just before Rachel burst out of the grass again and ran up to Quatre, hiding behind him while peeking over his shoulder. Duo staggered to his feet as he rubbed his side, saying, "OW! You elbowed me!"

"Well you groped me!" She yelled back, catching Heero's attention long enough for a brief glance. Blushing, Duo said, "I did not! I don't call tackling you groping to any degree!"

"Are you about done with your fun-time, we need to go." Heero finally said, shutting his laptop and getting up. He walked over to his plane and walked up the ramp.

"Neh!" Duo pulled down his eyelid and stuck his tongue out at Heero's back.

"I saw that." Heero shouted without looking back. Duo grinned and ran over to Quatre and Rachel.

"You heard the 'man', let's make like a bread truck and haul buns!" Duo shouted, dashing into the hangar. Quatre laughed and said, "What!"

"OR," Rachel said with a grin, "We could make like the fat kid in dodge ball and get out!" Duo fell to the floor with laughter.

"Or we could make like a banana and split." Quatre suggested.

"Like my sides! BUWAHAHA!" Duo howled, holding his sides as he rocked back and forth. Rachel leaned against Quatre as she laughed.

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Why am I stuck working with bakas. . .Heero thought as he heard the hoots and jokes from the other plane. Trowa looked over his shoulder as he entered the cockpit, saying, "They sound like they're having fun." Heero growled as he started the engine, signaling to the others that he was leaving, with or without them.

"Knock, knock"

"Who's there?"

"Boo."

"Boo who?"

"Don't get so upset, crybaby!"

"What?"

"Ha! Ha! I made you say 'boo-hoo'!"

"You're a real idiot."

"That wasn't necessary." Rachel laughed as Duo told Quatre jokes to pass the time.

__

I didn't know he was so funny. . .and he looks so cute when he laughs. . .Rachel thought, watching the boys laugh. She leaned her elbows on the edge of the control panel and rested her chin in her hands, looking out the view window. Duo turned to her and said, "Hey, what's wrong? You look sad."

"Nah, just thinking. . .I don't smile when I think, I don't know why but really, I'm fine." She said, smiling at him. He didn't look convinced but he let it go.

"Hey Quatre, wanna hear a joke about a Rabbi and an Arab?"

"NO!" Quatre had been tolerant of Duo's blonde jokes but his patience had worn thin. Rachel smiled as Duo begged to tell more jokes and Quatre's eye started to twitch. With a sigh, she resumed her daydreaming.

"What is it that you don't like about Rachel?" Trowa had broken the silence in the plane after the hour they had been flying, and Heero didn't sound like he wanted the silence to end.

"Who said I didn't like her." Heero said in his monotone voice.

"She did." There was more silence before Heero responded.

"She knows too much and Duo won't let me 'take care' of her."

"You mean she knows too much about you."

"And you too. She knows about everyone and anyone, anything you can think of she probably knows." Trowa seemed surprised as he said, "A spy?"

"She claims she's from another dimension. Personally I think she's lost her mind."

"Hmm. . ." Trowa thought about this. Heero glanced over at him and said, "How far in the future does your circus plan their shows?"

"A month, why?"

"Were you scheduled to do a show at an OZ base?" Trowa seemed shocked.

"Yes, how did you know?" Heero feel silent and glared out the front window.

__

She knew. . .but she could have just heard that from anyone. Heero thought. Trowa stared at him for a minute and said, "Did she tell you?" Heero looked over at him and said, "Maybe."

"So she can see into the future?"

"Something like that."

"Did she tell you. . .what happened?" Heero frowned.

"No, why do you ask. Had something planned for them?"

"Maybe. . ." A memory rang in Heero's mind.

__

"He told you to always act on your emotions, and you passed that philosophy on to Trowa in the series. I guess you'll never get the chance to now, seeing that I messed everything up for you guys. He really looks up to you, Trowa that is." Heero frowned, _Why would he look up to me?_

"Trowa, would you self-detonate if you had the chance?" Trowa looked at him, a little surprised by the question.

"If I had the chance to and it meant destroying the enemy, yes, I would. . ."

__

"You told him to act on his emotions, so he did, and almost killed himself as well but was stopped by his friend, Catherine."

"And nothing would stop you, no regrets in the back of your mind. . ."

"No." Trowa seemed confused by the sudden Q and A session.

"Not even if someone close to you tried to stop you?" Trowa was by now frowning in confusion.

"I don't have anyone close to me. . .that's the first rule of being a true warrior: Don't have any emotional ties."

"What do you call Catherine." Trowa's eyes widened and he turned to Heero, saying, "She's. . .just. . .a coworker. . ."

"Is she?" Heero looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Trowa looked like he was about to break into a sweat but he settled back into his seat and his face fell back into its calmness.

"She's nothing more than part of my act in the circus." Heero looked back at the skies.

__

So this girl. . .he's attached to her, whoever she is. Rachel was right. . .

"Who told you about her?" Trowa asked in a calm voice.

"Rachel." Trowa looked away at the wall.

__

How would she know if I care about anyone, I never show my feelings. . .I don't care about Catherine. . .I don't. . .Trowa closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, letting the silence fill the cockpit again.

"That does it for that OZ base. . .where to next?" Duo asked as he jumped out of his gundam. The base they infiltrated and bombed burned on the horizon as the group loaded up to move on.

"There's a fleet heading west to a nearby city, they'll be there in about 2 hours. We should move fast, we don't have any time to waste." Heero said, loading his gundam into the plane.

"If it's alright, might I fly with you this time?" Trowa asked Duo as he walked up. Duo looked surprised and said, "Uh, sure. Hey Quatre, you don't mind flying with Heero, do you?"

"Huh? No, not at all." Rachel walked out of the plane, saying, "Hey, why's Quatre going with Heero?"

"Tro-man wants to fly with us." Duo shouted to her. She blinked and said, "Oh, okay. . ."

__

Why does he want to fly with us? What did Heero say to him? Rachel gulped and shrugged off the chill running up her spine, _I'm sure it's nothing. . ._

"Great, let's get you on board!" Duo said, fine with it either way. He saw it as an opportunity to tell more jokes. They loaded up and took off a few minutes later and got settled in for the ride. Duo got stuck with the flying, Trowa's excuse being that he didn't pilot planes very well.

__

Geez, it's just like flying a gundam, what's the big difference? Duo thought to himself.

"Wow, look at that, it's so beautiful. . ." Rachel said, smiling as she stared out the viewing window at the expanse of water below them.

"Yeah, I guess so. Get used to it, there's another hour and a half's worth of it." Duo said, not impressed by the body of water. She grinned at him and continued to stare at it.

"It's so soothing to stare at it, though, don't you think? The calm crystal blue water, the sparkles of light from the sun dancing over the surface, the water arcing up to play with the sunbeams like a kitten rolling in some rays to warm itself. . .sigh" Rachel stared longingly at the cool sea waving at them from below.

"You live next to an ocean, why are you so fascinated by it? Don't you see it all the time?" Duo asked.

"Not really, I rarely go. You know, it's like living by a theme park, you know it's gonna be there so why go too much?"

"I guess I can understand that. . .but you talk so poetically about some liquid stuck in a hole. . ." She laughed and said, "Yeah, I can't help it, I'm an artistic person." With a wink she walked toward the cockpit door and opened it.

"Where ya goin'?" Duo said over his shoulder.

"For a walk, my legs are getting cramped from all the sitting around doing nothing. Be back in a few!" She waved and walked into the hangar. Trowa glanced after her and waited for Duo to be distracted by his driving so he could slip out and follow her. Suddenly, his opportunity called. Or, rather, Duo's stomach did.

"Boy am I hungry! I haven't eaten in over 2 hours!" Duo said, putting a hand to his rumbling belly. Standing, Trowa said, "I'll get something from the hangar."

"Hey, thanks! An apple would be nice. . ." Duo said as Trowa left to 'get food'. As he walked quietly into the hangar, he looked around for Rachel. Strolling in the direction of the storage crates, he spotted her by his gundam. She was slowly walking around it looking it over with great interest. He walked toward her and said, "You seem impressed by my gundam." She jumped and turned to face him. His silence creeped her out and she said, "Geez, you're quiet! Nah, I was just looking at it. It's. . .colorful. . ." She looked back at the orange, red, blue, yellow, and white mobile suit with an eyebrow cocked up in slight wonder as to who picked the colors for it. Trowa silently walked up next to her and looked at it as well. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said, "So. . .it's. . .well armed."

__

Understatement of the century. . .Rachel thought to herself.

"It's a powerful weapon." Trowa said. Stepping forward, Rachel tried to sound smart by saying, "Yeah, my favorite part of its armory is the beam gattling gun; very powerful. Oh, and its homing and micro missiles kick butt in long-range combat. The army knife's a nice touch. . .though it doesn't really do much for your close-range attack capabilities. . ."

"Have you been studying it much?" Trowa asked, trying not to sound like he was interrogating her, which he was doing anyway.

"I was just really bored, I can't help it! Hey, Gundams are sweet! Not to mention way better equipped than regular mobile suits and dolls. . ."

"What's a doll?" Trowa asked. She looked back at him in surprise but remembered that they hadn't been introduced yet.

"That's right, they aren't made till later when you go into space. But wait, why did I see one in that battle you guys were in back when I first got here?" Trowa shrugged in confusion.

"I wasn't there; I couldn't tell you even if I was. What's a doll?"

"It's basically just like regular mobile suits but they're remotely controlled, kinda like R.C. cars. That allows them to move faster and they lock onto a preprogrammed objective like say a gundam. It will do nothing but attack that gundam, nothing else even if it gets attacked by someone else."

"Hmm. . .how do you know about these 'dolls' if they don't exist yet?" Trowa asked.

"But they do! Which they shouldn't. . .which is confusing. Let me ask Duo if he's seen them before." She started toward the cockpit but Trowa stepped in her way. She blinked and stared into his cold green eyes.

"I want to know why you know so much." Trowa asked in a slightly demanding voice.

"Geez, what's with you people! Have you been talking to Heero?" She said, getting annoyed as she stared at the, like the other pilots, short statured boy in front of her. Even if he was the tallest of the group, he was still 3 inches shorter than she was. She frowned as he pulled a gun from his pants and said, "Tell me how you know all of this and I might go easy on you."

"Even if I tell you you'll do the same thing Heero did and try to hurt me! You won't believe me!" She ran away and Trowa ran after her. She tried to turn and head around Heavyarms but Trowa pushed her against the hangar door, holding her down with one hand and pressing the tip of the gun against her forehead.

"Tell me." He said in a low voice. Just as he did, the door moaned, reminding Rachel of its problem.

"Oh no, don't tell me Quatre didn't fix the gate. . ."Rachel said, looking up as the gate slowly creaked open. Trowa looked up as well but didn't move in time and the door fell open. The air pressure change pulled Trowa and Rachel down with the door.

"AHHH!" Rachel screamed as she grabbed desperately for anything she could. A rope tied to the door fluttered by her face and she grabbed it, quickly grabbing Trowa's hand and screaming in pain as his weight wretched her arm around behind her. He stared up at her, slight fear in his eyes as he let his gun fall, reaching up with his other hand to grab her arm. She grit her teeth and tried as hard as she could to hold onto the rope and Trowa at the same time without dislocating her arm.

"Rachel. . ." Trowa said, knowing she couldn't hold his weight. She looked down at him and said, "Hold. . .on. I'll call Duo and he'll pull us up." Trowa saw her hold on the rope slipping and said, "He'll never get here in time."

"I don't care, I won't let you die! DUO!" She screamed as loud as she could but the engines drowned out her call. Her hand slipped more and Trowa said, "Let me go, you can still save yourself."

"NEVER!" He let go of her hand and she tried to hold onto him.

"Take care of my gundam for me." Trowa said sadly.

"TROWA, NO! HOLD ON!" Rachel screamed. But finally, his hand slipped free.

"TROOOWAAAAA!" Rachel watched as he fell toward the sea.

__

I can't let him die, I can't! Rachel kicked off and dove after him. As he freefell, he watched the water's surface slowly gain speed, coming closer and closer until he pulled his arms up in front of his face to block some of its painful impact. He hit the water and sank into the deep cold sea, but it didn't hurt as much as he had expected it to. In fact, it didn't hurt at all.

__

What. . .happened? Did I die yet? I. . .I can still breathe. . .He opened his eyes and blinked as he stared down into the dark depths below him. Reaching out, he found himself to be in a bubble of air. As he stared blankly at the wall of water in front of him, he noticed something wet pressed up against his neck.

"Huh?" He reached up to touch it, only to find that it was. . .

"I said I wouldn't let you die, and I meant it." Turning, he stared into the tear-filled eyes of his savior.

"R-Rachel? How. . ." He touched her wet cheek and she smiled.

"I didn't want you to die. . .so He let me save you." She muttered softly.

"Who's He?" She smiled and hugged Trowa as they slowly rose to the surface.

"My Father in heaven. . ." She whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Still don't own Gundam Wing. . .though my determination may pay off some day in my plan to rule all the major anime companies….moo-haha. . .. I also do not claim that Trowa can swim, Heero would apologize, Duo likes apples NOR do I claim to ever take these disclaimers seriously. . .

Chapter 7

"Hey Duo, do you know where your riding companions are?" Heero said over the comlink.

"They went in the hangar bay, why?" Duo responded.

"Well, you may feel a draft because your hangar door's wide open."

"WHAT!" Duo hit the auto pilot button and jumped out of the chair, racing over to the door and opening it only to be hit by the wind blowing in from outside. He cursed and screamed over the howling wind, "RACHEL, TROWA!" Sweating, he slammed the door shut and ran over to the radar, searching for his missing crew. Two faint blips appeared on the screen and he knew it was them. Quickly, he pressed the com button and yelled, "Quatre, they fell out!"

"What!" Quatre responded.

"Trowa and Rachel, they're down there in the water! I don't know if they're alive or not. . ."

"After a fall like that, impossible." Heero said coldly.

"SHUT up, Heero! Quatre, you have to go down there and save them!"

"10-4, over and out!" Duo fell into his seat, pale and shaking as he desperately prayed, "God, if you're listening, please don't let them die. I know I haven't exactly been good or anything but not Rachel, she doesn't deserve to die. . ."

Rachel and Trowa floated on the surface, bobbing up and down with the waves as a storm cloud crept in from the east. Trowa opened his eyes and looked up, noticing the darkness consuming the clear skies. A little worn out from trying to stay a float while holding onto Rachel, he laid back in the water and held her head above the water on his chest. She had passed out when they broke the surface. He rested his arm over her back and his right hand on the back of her head as he stared up at the sky in exhaustion, not wanting to close his eyes for fear he'd fall asleep.

__

I hope they figure out we're missing before they get too far away. Trowa thought as he sighed, _How did she save us like that? Was she telling the truth to Heero and the others? Could she really be from another world? I guess anything's possible. . .she's strange enough to be an alien. But knowing about all of us. . .is she a telepath or mind reader of some sort? All this thinking is making me tired. Maybe a little rest wouldn't be bad. . ._ Suddenly, as his eyelids grew heavy and started to close, strong gusts of wind whipped across the water, waking Trowa. He squinted as the sun reflected off of Sandrock's black, white, and gold armor, almost bringing a smile to his morbid expression. The Gundam's hand reached down and scooped up the soaked teens, carrying them back to their plane. He gently dropped them into the hangar and closed the hangar gate, using Wing's beam saber to melt the edges of the door to the plane body so it would stay shut till they could do something about it. Flying away, he returned to his plane.

"Are you guys okay! How the heck did you fall out?" Duo said as he ran up to them and knelt next to Rachel, pulling her off of Trowa and holding her limp body in his arms.

"It's a long story." Trowa said, barely able to move as he lay motionless on his back, his eyes closed and his chest heaving from exhaustion.

"Is she okay?" Duo asked as he stroked a few stray hairs out of Rachel's face.

"Yeah, she just passed out from the rush of it all." Trowa responded quietly. Duo looked up at Trowa and said, "I can't believe you survived that fall, we're at least a thousand feet in the air!"

"I. . .I don't know. I think. . .it was. . .her." Trowa managed to say before he also passed out. Blinking, Duo looked down at the sleeping girl in his lap and thought, _Her? Man, he must have swallowed some sea water or something. . ._

As Trowa finally came around, he opened his eyes to see Rachel staring at him. She smiled and said, "Good, you're awake! How are you feeling?" He sat up and still felt a little dizzy as he touched his head and said, "I'm. . .okay. . ."

"Great! Let me get you something to eat." She stood up and walked over to their food crates to retrieve something. Trowa looked around and found himself to still be in the same place he was when he passed out.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Trowa asked quietly as he looked over at Rachel.

"About an hour." Rachel said. She struggled with the crate lid as she mumbled threats to it if it didn't open. Trowa stood and wobbled across the hangar to her, putting his hand on her shoulder to pull her aside. She jumped a little as she backed away and watched him hit the side and pop open the top. She looked at it in wonder and said, "Gee, and I was trying not to be violent. . ."

"What are you?" Rachel's eyes widened and she responded, "I guess I'm weak but you don't have to point it out. . ."

"No, that's not what I meant." He turned to face her, a slight frown on his face as he looked her in the eyes. She swallowed and said, "Um, what. . .did you mean?"

"You healed my cheek earlier. . .and you somehow kept us from being crushed and drowned by the water. Are you. . .an alien?" She couldn't hold in a snicker that rose from inside as it snorted out, followed by a laugh. Trowa looked a little insulted. She stopped and cleared her throat, saying, "No giggle I'm not an alien. I really honestly don't know how I did it. I just thought about it and it happened, simple as that."

"But Heero said that you claimed to be from another dimension."

"I am, but it's the same earth. Well, my earth has a different year than yours and we currently aren't having a world war nor do we have any colonies in space. It's. . .kind of boring, I guess, if you saw it. . .no big robotic suits, no OZ-although some of the cults out there can be almost as bad. No one has hair like yours for one thing. . ." Rachel said with a smile. He looked at his hair questioningly.

"So. . .how did you get here?" Trowa asked, fingering his long bangs.

"I don't know. I've been wondering that ever since I got here, trying to convince myself it's only a dream but things keep happening that obviously aren't dreams. Especially when it hurts so much. . ." She said, rubbing her arm that was still sore from holding onto Trowa. He looked at it and said, "Why were you so determined to keep me alive? Am I that valuable to you?"

"Of course, you're a gundam pilot! Why wouldn't you be? I mean, Trowa, you have such great talent in piloting that we need to take down OZ once and for all! I realize it. . .and I'm sure the others do too." Trowa seemed impressed by her speech.

"You should be a politician. . .you come up with speeches fast. . ." She frowned and said, "Don't insult me like that, I am nothing like a politician. For one thing, I don't lie about things I promise to people. I also share my honest opinion instead of laying it on with lies and big words no one can understand but a dictionary."

"So you're like Relena?"

"In a way yes, but I understand why wars happen and why they sometimes have to happen. Though I don't believe it should happen because someone wants to take over the world, that's just ridiculous. This world is big enough, everyone should learn to share and not be so power hungry. But if a war starts because someone wants to free an oppressed country under a cruel dictatorship or to stop something worse from happening, like Treize taking over the world, I could understand the reason for it. While peace would be nice it's just a dream in some people's eyes and you'll never get everyone to agree to it. On my earth there's never peace, but there's plenty of truces between countries to lower the likelihood of a war starting. At the moment on my planet there is a war going on between my country and Afghanistan's dictator. It's kind of sad when you know there's a war and you can't really do much about it. . .but I guess that's part of life." She sighed and looked down at the floor, remembering all her friends and family and hoping they didn't miss her too much. His hand twitched at his side like it wanted to go to her but Trowa stood still just staring at her. She looked up and said with a smile, "I gotta work on my feelings, I keep wanting to cry all the time like some baby. Hey, how about that food." She stepped toward the crate and finally Trowa put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and he said, "I'll leave you alone now."

"You mean. . .you believe me?" He nodded and she smiled.

"Thanks." She began to rummage through the crate.

"Duo wanted an apple." She looked back at him and pulled an apple out.

"I know."

"We're almost to shore, just 10 more minutes." Heero said boredly. Quatre sighed and looked at the ceiling with a sad expression on his face.

"Another battle to be had. . .why do we keep fighting when they just come back again in more numbers? Not that I'm saying we should give up, it just seems hopeless sometimes. . ." Quatre said, folding his arms across his chest. Heero didn't respond as he started to lower his plane closer to the ground as they grew closer to the next city. Suddenly, the radar began to beep madly and Quatre jumped in his seat, shooting forward and staring wide-eyed at the field of spots all over the radar.

"HEERO!" Quatre yelled, just before lasers flew unsettlingly close to their plane.

"It's a trap, they knew we were coming." Heero said calmly as he took evasive action to keep the plane from being shot down.

"I'll warn the others, they're a little behind us!" Quatre ran to the comlink, sliding across the floor as Heero took a sharp turn to avoid being blasted. He held onto the control panel and hit the button, yelling, "Guys, watch out, it's a trap!"

WE KINDA FIGURED THAT OUT! Duo yelled back, just now running into the barricade of lasers and missiles. Cursing like mad as he came close to being shot down, Rachel held on for dear life to the crate as Trowa did the same and yelled to Duo, "What's going on!"

"We're under attack, get in your gundam!" Duo yelled back. Trowa didn't hesitate as he waited for the plane to level out and launched himself at the Gundams. He landed on Duo's and crawled down its body to leap over to his, quickly jumping in and starting it up. Rachel's eyes were wild with fear as she held on for dear life. Finally, she risked it and jumped for the cockpit door, throwing it open and rushing in.

"Duo, get in your gundam, I'll fly!" Rachel said as she grabbed onto the back of Duo's seat.

"WHAT! Are you crazy! You can't-" Duo exclaimed.

"You have to! NOW!" She unbuckled him and bumped him out of the seat, quickly grabbing hold of the steering as she strapped in and attempted to pilot. Duo jumped up and almost lost his balance as he screamed, "RACH-"

"GO, DUO!" Rachel yelled to him. He grit his teeth as he fought in his mind over what to do. She gave him a quick glare as she said, "Get your butt in that Gundam of yours and get them before they get me!" He finally but reluctantly nodded and ran to the door, sliding across the cabin as he grabbed for the knob to stop himself. He pulled the door open and dashed to his Gundam, quickly jumping up and into it. She heard them both stand and blast the back gate open to get out, causing the plane to go off balance. She quickly pulled it back on course as they jumped out and rocketed off to battle. With a sigh of relief, she started flying away from the combat to get to safety. As she rounded about, she saw Wing and Sandrock leave their plane as it went careening off course and plummeted to the ground where it exploded on a group of mobile suits. She watched them with wide eyes and thought to herself, _Man, I don't know how they can battle like that and not get hit. . .I'd die the second I got out of the plane!_

Just then, a barrage of bullets flew through the air and her tail and right wing got ripped to shreds. The plane wobbled and started to spiral down toward the ground and the battle.

"gasp RACHEL, NO!" Duo screamed as he watched their plane nosedive out of control. Desperately, she tried to do something but found her efforts to be hopeless. As the ground came flying at her, she thought, _Oh man, please let that not have just been a fluke. . ._ Her arms flew up in front of her face as she mowed down a clump of mobile suits. Duo's heart wretched in his chest and he screamed, "NOOOOO!"

Quatre's eyes were wide as he saw the massive explosion.

"Rachel. . ." Trowa muttered as he too saw the tragedy. In fury, Duo slashed through the mobile suits like a tornado, going on a killing spree through the shocked OZ fleet. Before long, Duo's scythe cut through the last mobile suit standing and continued to cut it apart as he screamed curses at it. Quatre flew over to him and grabbed Deathscythe, pulling it away.

"Duo, stop! He's dead!" Quatre said to his wild friend.

NO, they deserve to be tortured for what they did! Duo screamed back, tears flying from his eyes and he struggled to free himself of Sandrock's clutches. Wing Gundam watched from the sky, staring down as Sandrock and Deathscythe staggered back and forth in their own battle.

__

She. . .she didn't jump out. . .why? Trowa thought as he stared morbidly at the still blazing wreckage, almost crying himself. Just as a tear came to his eye, he saw something flicker in the fire. With a blink, he turned and walked toward the rubble, a little mesmerized by the dancing and leaping flames. Quatre and Duo stopped struggling for a second and stared at Heavyarms as it knelt by the blaze, reaching into the fire.

"Trowa, what are you doing?" Quatre said. As soon as he spoke, the hand came back out with a small ball of light in its palm.

"Huh?" Duo stared at the glowing sphere as did the other pilots.

"I thought so. . ."Trowa said to himself as he looked down at his hand, watching the glow disappear to reveal a curled up girl still a little shook up from the explosion. He stood his gundam and walked away from the fire to a safe distance from the heat before stopping and opening his hatch. Jumping out, he made his way down to the hand and knelt next to the curled up form. He laid his hand on her shaking side and she slowly looked up into his eyes.

"It. . .it wasn't a fluke. . .after all." Rachel muttered with a grin. Trowa smiled.

__

Wow. . .he's smiling. . .Rachel thought as she groaned from the ache of the ringing in her ears.

"Are you okay?" Trowa asked her. She blinked and stared at his lips as they moved but no sound came out. He frowned at the blank stare she gave him and said, "Can you hear me?" She blinked again. She mentally spelled out the words his lips spoke and figured out what he was saying. She shook her head. Deathscythe came barreling over to the still Heavyarms and Duo leapt out of the hatch, jumping down to Heavyarm's hand to join the two teens. He fell to his knees next to Rachel and said, "Rachel, you're alive! How! I thought you were-" Trowa put his hand on Duo's shoulder and Duo looked up into his eyes.

"She can't hear you, she went deaf from the explosion." Trowa said. His eyes still wildly dancing around, Duo looked back at Rachel. He put his hands on her shoulder and slowly mouthed out, "Are you okay?" Watching very closely, she said, "Y-yes." She suddenly got pulled up and into a hug as Duo said with tears running down his face, "Oh, thank GOD!"

__

Yes, thank God. . .Trowa thought as he watched Duo smother Rachel with his hug. Duo suddenly looked down at her and found her asleep.

"Huh. . .she passed out again." Trowa said, almost sounding a little glad. Duo smiled and just cradled her in his arms.

__

Oh, my head hurts. . .where am I? Rachel thought as she slowly opened her eyes. At first her vision was a little blurry but as her pupils focused, she saw the smiling face of Duo Maxwell appear over her bed. Blinking, she muttered, "Where. . .am I?"

"You're in a hospital. I thought it would be good to make sure your hearing wasn't gone forever. How is it?" Duo said in a cheerful voice, happy to see her awake.

"Mmm. . .a little muffled but I can hear you. It's almost like listening to you speak behind a door." She said quietly. He smiled kindly and said, "That's good. Are you hungry?" Slowly sitting up, she said, "Now that you mention it, yes I am."

"Great, I'll go get you something from the cafeteria! Don't go anywhere!" Duo said with a wink and a grin just before dashing out of the room. She sighed and closed her eyes as she relaxed her nerves and thought about what had happened.

"Hello, Heero. I'm guessing you're here to drill me some more on how the heck I did what I did?" Rachel said with a grin.

"I was trying to be quiet. . .another of your hidden talents?" She opened her eyes and said, "Nah, just figured you were waiting for Duo to leave. . .like you usually do in situations such as these."

"You studied my character well I see." Heero said as he walked into the room, "But not well enough, I didn't come here to 'drill you' on anything."

"Oh? Don't surprise me like that, I might have a heart attack." Rachel said sarcastically. Heero looked across the room with a low grunt at the window letting dim sunlight in as the sun set in the distance.

"I came to apologize." She sat up and stared wide-eyed at him. He looked back at her and said, "I'm sure you know that I rarely do this so treasure the moment."

"Nah, just a little. . .why are you apologizing?"

"I didn't believe you and I almost killed you for telling me the truth. But just because I'm saying I'm sorry doesn't mean that I like you now or we're going to be friends."

"I'm sure, no emotional ties for soldier boy." She said, trying not to look overly pleased. He looked away again. With a sigh, she said, "And. . .I'm sorry too."

"For?" Heero asked.

"For calling you. . .shorty. I was way out of line and for that I'm sorry. And I'm sorry if I said anything to hurt you when I was chattering on and on over the comlink. I need to learn some, oh what's it called. . ."

"Tact?" Heero muttered, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Um. . .yeah, that stuff. . .I haven't quite figured out how to use it yet." She said with a laugh as she scratched the back of her neck. She became serious suddenly as she said, "Heero, tell me, how hard is it to build a gundam?"

"Why do you ask?" He said, a little surprised by her sudden question.

"I. . .wanted to build one for myself. I want to help you guys end this war!" She said, her voice sounding quite fervent.

"It's not as easy as it looks. You have to have a blueprint of it first before you can do anything else. Besides, with the way supplies are in this area, you won't be able to get anything half-decent to build one with and I don't even want to get into the math and construction time."

"Math?" Rachel said, the word looking as if it left a bad taste in her mouth as she cringed.

"Yes. You're not good at math, are you?" He said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Not when it comes to Algebra and I haven't even started on Geometry!" She said, sounding hopeless.

"Well, I can't help you and now isn't exactly the time to be working on a project of such great magnitude."

With a sigh, she said, "Oh well, I guess it's really the thought that counts, huh?"

"I guess." He looked back out the window in a musing manner as he said, "Why do you think you can even help us? You may know how the Gundams work but you have no battle training that I know of in these type of scenarios, you didn't take flight training so even if you knew how to make it start you couldn't get it to maneuver the ways needed in combat. I'm not even going to get into the chances of you getting captured. . ." Heero said.

"Man, way to squash dreams. Was that part of your combat training too?" Rachel said in sarcasm.

"I'm just looking at the reality of you being of any help to us."

"All I need is a few days of training in the basics and I'll be fine! I'm a really quick learner!" She said, sounding determined. Heero shook his head. Grabbing the sheets in her fists, Rachel exclaimed, "Please, give me a chance!" Heero looked over at her and said, "A chance? Just one. . ."

"Yes, one. I don't want to waste all your time if I can't even handle a little practice. Just one chance. . ." Heero seemed to think about it for a long time before saying, "One chance, that's it. And I won't go easy on you." Her face exploded into a smile and she said, "Oh thank you, Heero! I won't let you down, I promise!" He just grunted and turned to leave. As he walked through the door, Duo came in after him, looking at him as he left then staring at Rachel's ear to ear grin. Sitting the tray of food he brought on her bedside table, he said, "What are you so happy about?"

"I'm gonna be a gundam pilot just like you!" She exclaimed, grabbing Duo in a tight hug. He blinked and said, "Uh. . .yay?"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters nor do I own the song "Supergirl". I also do not claim that Heero could beat Duo in a duel nor do I claim that Rachel could beat Heero, I just say she can…

Chapter 8

"Now bank right to avoid being hit. . .no, right! I said right, not left!" Heero said, sounding a bit irritated.

"I'm sorry, I don't have much sense of direction!" Rachel said in equal irritation.

"Your weakness will only get you dead on the battle field."

"I know which way not to go, I just can't tell which way is which!"

"That didn't make sense."

"Neither does your instructing!"

"You begged me to teach you, this is how I teach."

"I didn't beg!"

"I recall you saying 'please, just one chance', or am I losing my memory?"

"grumble Smarty-pants grumble. . ."

"I heard that."

"Good!" Quatre and Duo stood watching the two gundams seem to bicker back and forth for several minutes before the Deathscythe turned and stormed away from Wing leaving it to shake its fist after it.

"Geez, I don't think this is going so well." Duo said, sweating as he watched Deathscythe swing its scythe at the ground making rubble fly up in all directions.

"Maybe Heero's not the best person to be teaching her how to pilot a gundam in battle." Quatre said, watching Wing fight the urge to grab its beam saber and go after Deathscythe.

"I don't think Heero's fit to paper train a puppy! Maybe she really isn't good at piloting. . ." Duo said, marveling at the ditch his gundam's scythe had created.

"Hmm. . ." Trowa said as he watched as well. They looked at him as he looked deeply at the gundam, as if musing about something. Blinking, Quatre said, "Trowa. . .what's, um, up?" He looked over at them for a second but didn't respond. Sweating, Quatre scratched his head and walked away to get away from the blank stare. Duo strolled over to Trowa's side and said, "Hmm."

"Hmm. . ."

"Hmm."

"Okay then. . ." Duo walked over to Quatre who was watching the. . .conversation. . .closely.

"So, what did he say?" Quatre asked as Duo stroked his chin thoughtfully. He suddenly looked over at Quatre and said, "Oh, I don't know, he wouldn't say anything. I was just admiring Rachel's backswing. . ." Duo said, watching Rachel hack away at the ground more. Quatre stared and then said, "Hmm, yes, nice form. . ."

"She's hopeless! I can't train her!" Heero said as he stalked up in Wing and stood in the cockpit with his arms crossed. Duo looked up at him and then looked at Deathscythe, suddenly having a grin on his face as he ran up to the Gundam and said, "Call Rachel for me, I have an idea!" Still with a look of disgust, Heero punched the com button and said, "Rachel, get over here, your boyfriend has an idea." The color ran out of Duo's face like Heero had just flushed it down the toilet with Duo's voice. Quatre slapped his hand over his mouth and turned away as giggles bubbled up from his stomach. Trowa just glanced over and cocked an eyebrow at the white sheet in Duo's priest outfit.

"My what! I don't have a boyfriend! Whom are you referring to?" Rachel responded with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

"Just get over here." Heero said, trying not to laugh himself as Duo's jaw almost hit the ground. Deathscythe ambled over to the group and Rachel popped out, a little red in the face.

"What's up, I was diggin' to China!" Rachel said, trying to lighten the mood. Heero looked down at the sheet and said, "Well?" Duo gulped and said, pointing, "Quatre thought you might learn better by watching a battle or two!" Quatre's color disappeared too as he opened his mouth to protest.

"DUO-" Duo slapped his hand over Quatre's mouth and said, "Oh don't be so modest, it was a great idea! Okay, if you're afraid of battling Heero I'll do it for you!" Quatre wriggled about as Duo held him in a headlock to keep him quiet. Rachel jumped down and said, "Well, if you think it'll help."

"Of course! Nice idea by the way, Quatre!" Duo said, slapping him on the back and taking off like lightening across the ground to jump into his gundam. Just like that, Duo was inside and ready for battle. Trowa walked up to Quatre who was coughing as he straightened up and grit his teeth. With a bump of his elbow, Trowa whispered, "Way to go, loverboy. . ."

"I don't like her!" Quatre exclaimed and covered his mouth as Rachel walked up and said sarcastically, "I'm hurt."

"I, uh, er, but he, I don't, I mean I-" Quatre stuttered. She smiled and turned to watch the battle as the Gundams faced each other a few hundred feet away. Quatre sighed and muttered, "Why me. . ."

"Why did you say I was her boyfriend, Heero!" Duo yelled over the com as he lunged forward with his scythe ready to take a chunk out of Wing gundam.

"Well, with all the rolling around in the fields and giggling and such, I figured you were. . .you know." Heero taunted, stepping to the side as Duo swung his scythe and missed.

"It's not like that! She's just my friend!" Turning Duo came at him again and brought his scythe up to take another swipe at Heero.

"Oh? You talk to her an awful lot for just a friend." Wing reached up and grabbed the scythe, wrestling with Deathscythe, pulling back and forth.

"I'm just trying to get to know her!"

"In the biblical sense?"

"That's NOT FUNNY!" Duo pulled away and kicked Wing, forcing him back a few feet.

"Geez, those two are taking this demonstration a little too seriously, don't you think?" Rachel said as she watched them go at it like it was a battle to the death.

"Um, yeah. . ." Quatre said, sweating a little.

"Who said I was trying to be funny?" Heero smirked.

"Why you insane-" Heero punched the comlink button just before Duo could curse him out. With a grunt, Heero kicked the scythe out of Deathcsythe's hands and pulled his beam riffle out, shoving it into Deahtscythe's chest plate.

"Checkmate." Heero said in a cocky tone of voice. Duo grit his teeth and growled, putting his hands up as a sign of surrender.

"Heero can't be beat." Quatre said, amazed by the talent of the young pilot.

"You'd be surprised." Rachel said, seriously. Deathscythe stomped back to the group and Duo leapt out, an extremely cross expression on his angry face. He stormed away from them and headed toward the carrier plane. Rachel turned and shouted to Duo's back, "Wait, please watch me fight Heero!"

"What are you talking about! You can't fight him, he's more experienced than you, he'll pin you in two seconds if you challenge him!" Duo yelled back to her. She frowned and said, "I'll show you." Running over to Deathscythe, Rachel jumped in. Duo's eyes widened and he screamed, "What are you trying to do, humiliate yourself!" She didn't hear him as she flew back over to Wing and landed in a combat pose. Wing faced the gundam and Heero said, "Came back for more?"

"Let's dance." Rachel said, a determined tone in her voice.

"You? What are you talking about, I'd wipe the floor with you."

"Just shut up and put your gun where your mouth is."

"If you insist." Heero readied himself and made the first move. Pulling his beam saber out and turning it on, he took a swing at Deathscythe's arm. Like lightning, Deathscythe jumped out of the way and zipped around behind Wing. Equally as fast, she whipped out the scythe and ignited it, swinging it around and resting the staff on Wing's side, the blade in front of the waist of the gundam, right where Heero's cockpit was.

"Checkmate, if you want to live." Rachel said in a cold voice. Duo's mouth fell open and Quatre said, "She pinned him in two moves!"

"Impressive." Trowa stated quietly. His eyes wide, Heero said, "How. . .did you do that?"

"Like I said, I'm a quick learner." Rachel said, grinning. She withdrew the scythe and spun it quickly before replacing it in its spot on the Gundam's back. Rocketing away, she joined the small group of watchers, jumping out and joining them. Duo ran up to her and said, "I thought you couldn't pilot like that!"

"I couldn't, I had to watch you do it first." Rachel said with a smile.

"Wow, that was awfully good luck to have ended the battle so quickly!" Quatre said as she walked up to him.

"Luck nothing. You can't just become an expert in a matter of minutes without any previous training." Heero said, jumping down from his gundam and walking up to them.

"But you were teaching me before that, remember? Training. . ." She said with a wink, holding up a finger matter-of-factly. Heero grunted and turned away, walking back to his gundam.

"We need to head off to the next OZ fleet." Heero said over his shoulder.

"I'll load up." Trowa said, running off to walk Deathscythe over to the cargo planes. The rest walked over to the planes as they chattered on about what happened.

"So, you have some promising talents, Rachel, ones you would never get a chance to use in your dimension. Are you going to use them for good or for OZ?" Trowa asked. He leisurely sat in a chair, leaning an elbow on the armrest and resting his other arm on his knee, his foot propped up on the edge of the chair. Rachel sat sideways in the chair with her legs dangling over the side of the seat as she played with the hair draped over her shoulder.

"Good, of course. OZ needs to learn a thing or two about not being so power hungry, and I think we're just the people to teach em a lesson." She said, smiling at her friend.

"But where are we going to get you a gundam to pilot? I don't think we have the time to build one and in case you haven't noticed, we don't have any extra ones just laying around." Duo said, glancing over at Rachel as he steered the plane.

"I know, I've been thinking about that. Actually, I've been planning my Gundam's design in my mind and I've already thought of a name." She said, leaning back to look at Duo upside down.

"What will you call it?" Trowa asked.

"I'm gonna call it Gundam Verein." She said, sounding very proud of the name she had picked for it.

"Verein?" Duo said, sounding a bit confused.

"Yeah. Verein is German for 'association', and my Gundam will be a combination of parts associated with all your Gundams, including Tallgeese. It's mainly modeled after Wing Zero Custom but that's because it's really cool. My Gundam's gonna have three pairs of wings and two beam sabers that are pink-"

"Pink!" Duo said, giving Rachel a "What the-" expression.

"Yes, that just happens to be my favorite color, thank you very much. The walls in my bedroom are pink, the floor is pink, the curtains are pink, my blanket is pink with flowers on it. . ." Duo made a gagging noise and Rachel frowned at him, saying, "Hey!"

"I'm sorry but. . .pink walls!"

"In case you haven't noticed I am a girl, and most girls like pink. So there." Rachel said, giving him a raspberry.

"Fine. Any posters on your walls?" Duo asked.

"Yes, I have kitty, bird, fish, and horse posters amongst my many pictures and my door is covered with posters and pictures of mainly Gundam Wing characters and Fair project ribbons. . ." She said, thinking about her cluttered room.

"Oh? Any characters in specific?" Duo said, trying to get some info on who she possibly likes.

"I have one of each Gundam Pilot-the best picture in my collection, I might add-and I think I might have two of Quatre, you, and Trowa but that's because I couldn't decide which picture to pick."

"Riiiight. . ." Duo said, looking around innocently.

"I think Duo's trying to insinuate that you like us." Trowa said, looking at Duo's face as he whipped his head around to glare at Trowa. Rachel laughed and said, "Well now, he's free to insinuate at anything he likes, I'm not going to admit to any of it though so he'd just be wasting his time."

"So you don't like any of us?" Duo asked.

"I didn't say that."

"Then you do?"

"Didn't say that either."

"So you're a lesbian?"

"Duo?" Trowa laughed and Duo and Rachel stared at him in surprise. He stopped and blinked, saying, "What?" With a giggle, Rachel said, "Nothing; you should laugh more often." Trowa looked away and gazed out the window, not looking like it but acting embarrassed. She smiled and said, "So, maybe I can make my Gundam at the next stop we make, shouldn't take me too long!"

"Right, like you're going to build something like that in an hour or less." Duo said.

"2 minutes flat." She said, closing her eyes and lacing her fingers together behind her head with a smile.

"What? You gotta be kiddin' me! What do you think you are, Supergirl!"

"Yeah, Duo. ♪I'm Supergirl, and I'm here to save the world, but I wanna know, who's gonna save me?♪" Rachel sang. With a laugh, Duo said, "Not Heero." They all laughed and Rachel thought to herself, _who is gonna save me?_

"Heero, why are you so mad at Rachel? She could be the best thing that came along for us and all you can do is complain." Quatre said to his crabby company. Heero let out a low growl and Quatre sighed, leaving the pilot alone.

__

She is the best thing, right? Or is she our worst nightmare? Can she be both? Quatre pondered as he stared out the window at the endless sky.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: sigh Still don't own Gundam Wing or any other anime except for my own creations so. . .don't no one sue me! I do not claim that Quatre is a lazy fat bum hehe and I don't claim that Heero would give a rip if Trowa's mind was fried or not . Warning: Do not try to create a Gundam from lightning, you will only get fried hair and sudden twitches for the rest of your life.

Chapter 9

"I'll be back in 15 minutes." Heero said as he walked away from the group. He walked across the small meadow toward the town they had landed near and disappeared into the forest surrounding it. Rachel spun in a circle and said, "Ah, finally, some peace and happiness! At least for the time being." Duo smiled and said, "So what do you want to do?"

"Hmm, I don't know, let's see. . ." Rachel pondered about something to do as Quatre walked up to them.

"I don't know about you but I have some bottled up energy from sitting around all day." Quatre said, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, let's race! To that tree and back!" Rachel said cheerfully, pointing to an oak about 50 feet away.

"You'll be eating my dust by the time you get there!" Duo said pridefully.

"We'll see. Hey, Trowa, you wanna join us or just sit there like a bum the whole time?" Rachel called to the sullen looking teen sitting on the ramp. He looked up at them as Duo yelled, "I bet he couldn't run if Heero was chasing him with a gun!" Blinking, Trowa stared at them.

"What are you doing?" Trowa said as he stood up and walked down the ramp.

"We're going to race, care to join us?" Quatre said with a smile.

"I suppose." Trowa responded. They lined up and Rachel said, "Alright, on my mark. . .get set. . .GO!" They took off and raced toward the tree. They rounded it with Trowa in the lead and Quatre in the back. As Trowa tore across the field with ease, Rachel caught up to him and quickly passed him, finishing in first with Trowa, Duo, and Quatre shortly to follow. Panting, Duo said, " Geez, you're fast!"

"I used to race around like a cheetah at my church when I was younger, I got fused out a lot too." Rachel said with a giggle as she caught her breath as well. Slowly slumping over, Quatre sprawled out on the grass and said, "Man, I'm so out of shape! How could I have gotten so lazy!"

"Too much sitting around?" Rachel said. Trowa looked out across the field, not even sweating or panting for air like the rest, and said, "Rachel, when are you going to prove Duo wrong and build that gundam of yours?" She looked up at him and said, "I almost forgot! I'll do that now while Heero's doing whatever." Rachel ran out across the field and stopped a few feet away, distancing herself from the planes to give herself plenty of room.

"Huh? What is she doing?" Quatre said, looking up at his friend.

"Building her gundam." Trowa answered.

"What? With what?" Trowa shrugged and they all watched her. She looked out across the field and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and murmuring, "Verein. . ." Raising her arms slowly, a fierce wind ripped through the meadow, rustling the grass and trees, as well as the boys' clothes. Her arms stopped above her head, hands raised to the sky as if to catch something. Her head tilted back with her arms and suddenly, her eyes snapped open. In a low whisper swept away by the winds, she muttered, "Come to life." Lightning struck her hands from the clear skies and she seemed to gather the electrical current into a blazing concentration of the energy, just before throwing her hands forward and sending the energy exploding across the open field. The light tore through the air, spreading out over the grass, slowly taking shape. Shielding their eyes, the boys watched on in awe and shock. Suddenly with a blinding flash of light, the light vanished and left behind the shimmering golden structure of a mobile suit. Duo's mouth hung open and Trowa said in an awestruck voice, "Gundam. . .Verein." Rachel fell to her knees and weakly smiled at her creation.

"I did it. . ." Rachel whispered, just before falling to the side and passing out. Duo snapped out of his daze and jumped to his feet, racing across the field and collapsed at her side, lifting her head in his hands and saying, "Rachel!"

"She's fine, Duo." Trowa said as he walked up behind Duo. Looking up, Duo said, "How do you know?"

"She seems to pass out every time she overly expends her energy like that. Same as when she rescued me and when she shielded herself from that explosion." Trowa explained. Duo looked down and slowly stroked her hair, saying quietly, "Golden. . .like your beautiful hair. . ."

"It has shoulder guards like my Sandrock." Quatre said as he slowly strode over to them.

"And a chest plate like Deathscythe's." Duo said, admiring the creation.

"And foot straps similar to my Gundam's." Trowa said.

"Fascinating. . ." Quatre looked it over.

"It's suppose to be modeled after all our Gundams, but I don't see anything that resembles Heero's Gundam." Trowa said.

"What about my Gundam?" Heero walked up, looking amazed by the immense battle suit lying on the grass.

"You're back already?" Quatre said, turning to face Heero.

"I couldn't find what I was looking for. Where'd this come from?"

"Rachel made it." Duo said, petting her soft hair.

"You're kidding me." Heero said, looking as if he thought they had all lost it.

"Face it, Heero, she's. . .gifted."

"So she can do anything, from making force fields to creating enormous objects out of nothing."

"Well, that's not entirely true, she used the energy from a bolt of lightning to form its body." Quatre said.

"She's a lightning rod too? Is there anything she can't do?"

"She does have a limited amount of energy to use, or so it appears. If you've noticed, she keeps fainting." Trowa said, pointing out the slumbering girl in Duo's arms. Heero seemed a little dumbfounded by everything, especially the supernaturally powered girl who they happened across a few days ago. He turned away and said, "We need to get going, I have to stop by the next city over to check it out."

"But what about the new Gundam? We don't have room for it!" Duo said over his shoulder. Heero looked back at the planes and said, "While I was in town I didn't see any carriers for sale so. . .does it have fuel?" Heero asked Duo.

"I'll check. . ." Trowa said, running over to the gundam. He jumped up onto it and opened the cockpit door, looking in to find the fuel level meter.

"Well?" Heero called to Trowa.

"I think I have to turn it on to find out." Trowa yelled back. He saw the activation switch and flipped it. The engines roared to life and it started to move.

"What the?" Duo watched as the gundam sat up, throwing Trowa over the edge of the cockpit door where he grabbed on and hung on for his life.

"Trowa! What did you do?" Quatre yelled.

"It's moving on its own!" Trowa yelled back, trying to climb up to get into the cockpit. It had stopped moving so he took the chance to get inside and check the system out. As soon as he sat down in the seat, the cockpit door closed and safety restraints came out and strapped Trowa in. Shocked, he tried to get free but it wouldn't release him. Next a headset wrapped around his head, which he couldn't get off either.

__

Automated systems? Trowa thought to himself as a picture popped up on the screen. It was a view of the group standing in awe below him. The gundam had taken it upon itself to stand and was looking down at them. Just as he was about to find the shutoff switch, the Gundam surveyed the people below, trying to identify them as friend or foe. It was leaning toward foe and reaching for its weapons when Trowa yelled, "STOP!" The Gundam froze. His heart pounding, he sighed in relief.

Friend or foe?

"What?" Trowa looked around suddenly looking for the source of the voice in his head.

__

This thing can talk too! Trowa thought as he continued to look around.

I am programmed to respond to any questions and commands you give me. The voice said again.

__

Huh? It heard my thoughts?

Yes.

"But. . .how?" Trowa said, staring at the screen in shock, not having a clue what to do.

Through your Thought Transfer Device. Trowa touched the headset and said, "This?"

Yes. Just then, Trowa began to think about what this thing could do in battle and the Gundam started to move, confused by his thoughts. Its sabers flew out from two cells on its shoulders and it grabbed them, running toward the planes, moving faster than Trowa had ever imagined a Gundam could.

"No, stop, don't destroy those!" Trowa screamed, his eyes wide and heart pounding.

Your commands are to destroy. The gundam responded as it came up to the planes and raised its sabers.

"STOP!" Trowa yelled as he tried desperately to clear his thoughts. He did just in time as the sabers stopped two inches from destroying their only modes of transportation. His head pounding with the pain of trying to keep his thoughts calm, he said, "Put your sabers away and shutdown."

Shutting down. The gundam responded. It stood up straight and replaced its sabers in their holding cells, then shutdown. The holding restraints and headset released him and the cockpit door opened just as Trowa fell out of the seat and lay half unconscious on the door. The other pilots had run over to the gundam by now and Heero climbed up to the cockpit, looking down at Trowa and turning him over to face him.

"Trowa, what the heck happened?" Heero asked. Looking up with eyes glazed over with pain, Trowa muttered, "G. . .get me. . .away from it. . ." Heero picked him up and grabbed the escape cord, slowly lowering himself and Trowa down to the ground where the other two pilots joined them.

"Is he okay!" Duo asked, looking at Trowa's limp body hanging in Heero's arms. Resting on his knees, Heero let Trowa's body lay on the ground.

"Trowa, can you tell me what happened." Heero asked in a calmer voice. Looking into Heero's eyes with a dead stare, Trowa said, "It's. . alive."

He then passed out, his eyes still slightly open. Heero closed them and said, "This thing is possessed, we should get rid of it."

"No, maybe she just made it so only she could pilot it! Don't get rid of it, she used so much energy just bringing it to life." Duo said pleadingly. Just then Rachel stirred and opened her eyes, looking about in a bit of wonder.

"What happened?" Rachel asked as she sat up.

"You're awake already?" Duo said, helping her up. She wobbled a bit and said, "How did Verein get over here?"

"Verein?" Quatre was confused.

"My gundam." She pointed to the large suit standing over them silently.

"Well, it almost destroyed our planes and Gundams and did something to Trowa." Heero said, looking down at the unconscious boy in his arms. Rachel walked over to Heero and fell to her knees next to Trowa, brushing his bangs back and resting her hand on his forehead. She stared calmly at his eyes and said, "Wake up." Heero was about to make a comment when Trowa's body twitched and his eyes popped open. They darted over to Rachel and she looked sadly at him.

"You tried to pilot Verein, didn't you." Rachel said solemnly. He stared into her eyes and she leaned over, kissing Trowa's forehead. He blinked and struggled to sit up.

"His eyes aren't glazed over anymore, what did you do?" Quatre said, noticing the sharp green color to Trowa's eyes back to normal.

"I figured the controls for Verein were too much for him so I eased his mind. The telepathy of my gundam scrambled your thoughts when you refused to give it any further orders mentally." Rachel said to Trowa. He stood and began to walk away at a quick pace, looking a bit disturbed. She sighed and said, "And now I've made him mad. Can't I do anything right. . ." She looked down at her lap and sniffed, trying to keep from crying in frustration.

"Rachel, it's not your fault." Quatre said, trying to comfort her.

"I can't get you guys to like me. . .I just want everyone to be happy and not hate me." Rachel said sadly. Heero stared at her with a blank expression on his face.

"I don't hate you, and neither does Quatre! So what if Trowa's ticked, that's his problem! You're a great girl!" Duo said, squatting next to Rachel and putting a hand on her back. She sniffed and looked up into Heero's eyes with a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Do you still hate me?" Rachel said to Heero. He blinked and leaned back slightly, not sure what to say as he said, "Hate you?"

"Yes, why else would you hold a gun to me and threaten to kill me? And I said such inappropriate things to you before, I don't blame you if you do hate me." She wouldn't take her eyes off of his and it made him nervous.

"I. . ." He almost looked scared when he swallowed and quickly stood, running off toward his plane.

"Geez, how rude of him!" Duo said after Heero had disappeared.

"No, I shouldn't have confronted him with you two standing around." Rachel said, wiping away her tears.

"Huh? Why not?" Duo said.

"I don't think he wants to let his guard down." Duo still didn't understand, but Quatre did.

"I guess we should go now." Quatre said, walking toward the planes, "I'll make sure Heero's not trying to leave without us."

"But," Duo looked at Rachel, "Your gundam. . ."

"I'll fly it to the next stop we make." She said, standing to grab the escape cord.

"What! You'll never have enough fuel to make it there!" Duo said as he stood with her.

"My Gundam's special, it has different ways of fueling itself." She said with a smile.

"Huh? What's that?" Duo asked.

"That's for me to know and you to ponder about!" Rachel winked and stepped onto the foothold at the end of the escape cord and it pulled her up. Duo watched her and called up, "Are you sure you'll make it?"

"Just go, I'll be fine!" She yelled down and got into the cockpit when she reached the top. The Gundam started to move and Duo ran to his plane, jumping in and starting the engines. The group took off and flew off to the next city in the area.

"Tro-man, you alright?" Duo asked Trowa. Sitting quietly across from Duo, Trowa had been staring out the window blankly. He turned and looked at Duo, saying, "What does it matter."

"Well, Rachel was worried about you."

"Hmph." Trowa crossed his arms and closed his eyes, saying, "I don't feel like talking right now, my head hurts."

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Brat. . . Duo thought as he resumed watching the skies.

Quatre seemed to squirm in his seat as if he was itching to do something, and Heero had noticed it about 10 minutes ago. Finally getting fed up with the boy's annoying movements, Heero said, "What's your problem." Quatre faced Heero and said, "Why didn't you just tell Rachel that you don't hate her, she's probably worried to death that you'll come after her some time and kill her because you wouldn't say anything!"

"Been holding that in a while, have you?" Heero commented on Quatre's outburst. Settling down, Quatre pouted like a 4-year-old and said, "You're so mean to her for no good reason."

"I have my reasons for everything I do." Heero said.

"Then why hate her?" Heero didn't respond. Quatre frowned and said, "Do you hate me now, too?"

"I don't hate you but if you don't shutup about that I'll have to get my gun out." Heero said, a muscle twitching in his cheek as he held back a growl.

"You can be so cruel sometimes." Quatre said, and dropped the subject.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the quoted word "egocentralism". A friend told it to me and I thought it was funny. I also don't claim that Trowa would know something like that….

Chapter 10

"Hmm, looks like we didn't get here soon enough." Trowa said, looking at the city they were approaching. Duo's eyes looked on sadly and said, "We have to stop these guys, this just isn't right."

Duo, do you read me? Rachel called over the comlink. Duo hit the button and said, "Yeah, I read ya."

Since this city's gone, we should head to the next one over now and make sure they're okay.

"But you couldn't possibly-"

Duo, stop worrying about me. I'm Supergirl, remember? Duo could almost see Rachel winking as he let a soft smile cross his face.

"Yeah, and you're gonna save the world."

Exactly, so let's just go on.

"Okay, I'll radio the others." Duo recalibrated the link and called Heero and Quatre's plane, "Hey, anyone alive over there?"

What do you want, Baka. Heero responded. With an eye roll, Duo said, "Rachel wants to just head over to the next city over if you guys don't mind."

But I thought she was flying in her gundam, will she make it? Quatre's voice asked in concern.

"She said not to worry so. . .I guess so."

Let's go then. Heero out. The connection ended and Duo sat back in his seat, leaning his head against the headrest. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and said, "Hey Trowa, pilot for me a little, will ya? I want to check on something."

"Uh-"

"Thanks! Here ya go!" Duo said, jumping up and running off to the cargo hold. Trowa leapt for the steering as the plane tilted a little, pulling on the steering to level it out again. With a sigh, he settled into the seat and grumbled mentally about Duo.

You awake over there, Duo? Looks like you're taking dancing lessons! Rachel called over the comlink. Trowa hesitated and stared at the button.

__

I don't want to talk to her. . .but if I don't she might start talking about Duo. . .hmm. . . Trowa thought and decided to sit back and see what happens.

Duo? Hello? Trowa, is he asleep?. . . .Trowa?. . . .Look, if you're still mad at me about what happened I'm sorry but I didn't really have a chance to explain the controls. . . .Come on, Trowa, say something, please? Trowa cocked an eyebrow and reached to press the button to respond.

And don't you dare say 'something' or I'll have to come over there and hurt you. Trowa grunted.

__

How'd she know what I was going to say? Trowa thought as he put his hand back on the steering. He looked out the window but couldn't see Verein anywhere in sight.

Trowa?. . . .Please say something to me, at least tell me off if you really don't want to talk or you just hate my guts. Finally, Trowa pushed the button.

"Do you know the theory of geocentralism?" Trowa asked.

Um. . . .yeah, some scientist guy had a hypothesis that the universe and all the stars in it revolved around the Earth. Why? Rachel wasn't sure where this was going.

"Well, you have EGOcentralism."

Huh?

"You think the universe and everything in it revolves around you."

What? I do not!

"Then why are you so concerned about how YOU are effected by things? You think everything is your fault, therefore you have egocentralism."

Listen, buddy, I don't know how much this gundam scrambled your mind but I haven't been concerned about myself at all! I'm more concerned with how everyone else is! If I was so 'egocentral' I wouldn't have saved you when you fell, I wouldn't have risked my life by trying to pilot that plane and crashing, I wouldn't have even wanted to come on this mission if I was so egocentral! If anyone is guilty of being so, it would be you and Heero! Trowa blinked and he said, "How do you figure that?"

You're mad at me because of something one of my creations did to you, even though I reversed the damage to your mind. You're still mad because it makes you feel right, or am I way off? Trowa thought about it for a while.

"And you can honestly tell me that you do not still hold a grudge against Heero?"

I never did in the first place. I may have been mad for him doing that but believe me, I don't care about it anymore.

"Do you now. . .then go fly with Heero for the rest of our journey."

Huh?

"If you're so forgiving you wouldn't avoid being near him."

I only do that because he avoids me. I tried to ask him if he hated me but he ran away. Who's avoiding who? Look, Trowa, I don't want to argue with you. You can go on feeling the way you do but please, don't hate me. The connection ended and Trowa stared blankly at the button.

__

I don't understand her. . .Trowa thought as he sighed and slouched in his chair.

"Oh crud, they've attacked this city too!" Duo said, feeling a bit guilty for not being able to stop the slaughter.

"It's still going, look." Trowa said, pointing to lasers and fire in the distance, bursting up now and then. Duo didn't hesitate as he kicked the engines into high speed and flew to the ongoing battle up ahead. When they got within viewing distance, they saw a group of mobile suits attacking a single suit that lashed out at a nearby Leo with its right arm that seemed to grow longer to reach its prey.

"What the heck is that thing?" Duo said as he stared at the lone fighter.

It's Shenlong, or Nataku as it's called by its pilot. Rachel said over the comlink, as if reading Duo's mind.

"Nataku?" Duo was confused.

"Who's the pilot?" Trowa asked.

Chang Wufei, our last Gundam pilot.

"Heero, did you hear that? It's Wufei!" Duo said, bringing the other plane into the conversation.

I know. Heero responded.

"Huh? How?"

He contacted me just before you did, said to sit tight for a few minutes while he finishes off his enemy.

"Geez, this guy is full of himself. . ." Duo mumbled.

Let me guess, he called them his 'weak opponents'? Rachel asked Heero.

"As a matter of fact, he did." Heero responded.

Sounds like Wufei all right. . . Rachel said, sounding a bit sarcastic. With a sigh, she said, Man, he's taking forever. That's it, I'm going in.

"What! Wait, you've never been in battle!" Duo tried to stop Rachel but she cut off the transmission as she sped off to the feud. Like a bullet, she spiraled through the gathering of Leos with her sabers drawn and sliced through the whole lot of them with one pass. With one tremendous explosion, the battle ended and Shenlong stared on in slight aggravation at the rude interruption of his fun time. Rachel returned to the planes and said, "All gone. Now, can we get on with the greeting?"

Woah. . .uh, yeah. Duo said, shocked by her clean sweep of kills. The planes landed and Shenlong walked over to them, opening up and revealing the pilot who looked a little less than pleased to see them. Verein landed near him as Chang yelled, "Who are you? How dare you barge in and-" The hatch door opened and Rachel stepped out, smiling slightly at the shocked look that crossed Chang's face. With his mouth open, he said, "You-you're a girl!"

"I sure hope so or else I'm in the wrong body." She said with a grin.

"Wufei, I'm glad I found you." Heero said as he walked out of the plane. The Chinese boy jumped down from his Gundam and strode over to the cold faced Japanese boy, both shaking hands with no look of pleasure to see each other.

"Who's the onnaku?" Wufei asked as he glanced back at Rachel as she made her way down to join the group.

"My name is Rachel. And I'm not an onnaku, I'm an onna." She responded with a tinge of annoyance. Wufei looked her over and said, "You are far from being a woman."

"Hmph, shonen. . ." She mumbled as she crossed her arms and glared back at him. Duo walked up and said, "So, Wu-man, you're the last Gundam pilot, eh? Nice to meet ya!"

"It's Wufei, not Wu-man." Wufei growled. With a chuckle, Duo nervously scratched the back of his head and tried to smile.

"Sorry."

"My name is Quatre, it's nice to meet a fellow pilot." Quatre said with a smile, outstretching his hand to shake Chang's. Chang grunted. Quatre slowly pulled back his hand and said, "And. . .this is Trowa."

"We've met." Wufei said, glancing at the quiet boy off by the plane. Trowa looked up briefly before returning to his sight seeing.

"There's an OZ base about 200 clicks from here that I was on my way to when I was ambushed by these weaklings." Wufei said to Heero, looking in the direction he spoke of.

"I'll come with you for backup, let me get my Gundam." Heero said, turning to walk to his plane.

"Huh? What about us?" Duo called after Heero.

"You would just be in the way. Stay here and scrounge the city for supplies." Heero said before disappearing into the hangar. With a growl, Duo started after him and Quatre grabbed his arm and held him back desperately.

"Why you little-in the way! I'll show you-why I oughta-GET BACK HERE!" Duo stammered as he fought to find insults to throw at Heero's back. Rachel cringed as Duo began to curse. She ran over and covered his mouth and he automatically stopped, looking over at her.

"Stop, just let them go do their thing, there's no point in arguing with them." Rachel tried to calm her infuriated friend.

"What! Why! He said I'd get in the way!" Duo yelled.

"He didn't exactly point that comment at you, it was aimed at all of us."

"It still includes me! That-" Rachel muffled his screaming as Wing gundam came out of the hangar and stalked over to them, stopping by Shenlong.

"Let's go, we don't have long till they send reinforcements here." Heero said through outer comlink. As Wufei nodded and ran back to his Gundam and jumped in, Duo screamed, "What! You're leaving us here as bait to distract them, aren't you! Why you-" Rachel struggled to keep her hand over his mouth as she sighed, saying, "Geez, Duo, calm down."

"You can handle them, can't you? Or are you scared of chipping the paint on your gundam?" Heero taunted Duo as his gundam turned its back to him and rocketed off. The sounds of the rockets drowned out Duo's screaming as he wrestled free of Rachel and Quatre's hold. With a huff, Duo kicked a stick on the ground and said, "(BEEP)! That (BEEP)(BEEEEP), I'll (BEEP) kick his (BEEP) (BEEP)!"

"How'd you do that?" Quatre whispered to Rachel.

"Eh, I just thought of Jerry Springer." Rachel said with a sigh as Duo ranted on, screaming censored curses.

"Land on the south side of the building and sneak in through the security door, there'll be at the most 15 guards between you and the central communications room. Can you handle it alone?" Wufei asked Heero.

"Can you handle your part?" Heero said back.

"Hmph." Wufei ended the transmission and flew off. Heero hid his gundam in a stand of trees and jumped out, running stealthily to the door. He decoded the access pad and pulled the door open, slipping inside and quietly shutting the door behind himself. As he snuck through the hallway straight to the communications room, he ran into a group of guards and tackled them in less than a minute, but triggered the alarm. With a grunt he took off in a run for the room but went flying across the floor with a cry of pain. Reaching back, he grasped his bleeding leg and looked up to see a man walking up to him in a red, white, and black uniform, his black boot heels clicking on the tiled floor as he approached. With a gun trained on Heero's head, the man said, "If you want to live you better not make any sudden moves, intruder." Heero glared at the officer but couldn't see his eyes.

"You. . .you're-"

"Lieutenant Zechs Merquise, and you're under arrest." The masked man replied.

"I can't take this anymore, I want to go blow something up too!" Duo said as he pouted in the hangar by his Gundam. Rachel leisurely leaned her elbow on Deathscythe's Gundanium armor as she said, "Duo, he said to stay here and scrounge, so let's go 'scrounge'."

"Why do we have to listen to him! Has he suddenly become the leader or something? Cause if so no one bothered to tell me!" Duo said, leaning his chin on the heel of his palm and sticking out his lower lip with a frown. Leaning forward a bit, Rachel said, "Ya know, a little birdie's gonna fly over your head and poop on your lip if you stick it out like that."

"Huh?" Duo said, looking a little confused and disgusted. Rachel tilted her head against her arm and said, "Nevermind." Rolling her head back and turning to rest her back against the gundam, she looked out at the debris left from the battle as she laid her arms down by her sides against Deathscythe's armor. Duo stood and sauntered over to Rachel, putting his hand on the gundam next to Rachel's shoulder and resting his other hand on his hip as he looked at her face. She looked back at him and said, "What? Don't glare at me, I can't do anything about it." She blinked as he said, getting closer to her, "I'm not glaring." He took his hand off his hip and placed it on her waist, moving closer again. His lips were inches from hers as Trowa walked up into the hangar and said mildly, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Duo stepped away from Rachel and glared at Trowa, saying, "Maybe." Rachel let out a soft sigh and melted down the side of the gundam, slipping away from Duo and racing off down the ramp. Duo looked back suddenly and whipped his head back and forth, finally spotting Rachel running across the burnt field. Taking off after her, he yelled, "Hey, where are you going? Rachel, come back!" She leapt for the rim of Verein's foot and climbed up, quickly making her way up to the hatch and hitting the open button. Duo stopped at the base of the Gundam and called up to Rachel.

"Wait, was it something I said!" Rachel looked back him over her shoulder as she knelt down to climb inside.

"No, I think it was just the moves you were making on me!" She yelled back. She got in and closed the hatch door. Duo grinned, still staring up after her, and thought to himself, _She's beautiful from every prospective. . ._


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Nobody really dies in this story, they just get really big booboos… Oh, and I don't own Gundam Wing, in case I haven't said it enough yet.

Chapter 11

Two officers carried Heero to a prison cell with another guard behind them with a gun and one in front to unlock the door. The front guard opened the door and as they attempted to toss in the "unconscious" Heero, he stole the guard next to him's gun and kicked the rear officer in the gut. Shooting both his captures, he knocked out the door guard and turned to run back down the hall when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He collapsed against the wall and looked up to see Zechs again.

"Trying to escape; I knew four guards weren't enough for you." Zechs said, his gun aimed at Heero's head again.

"Haven't we been in this scenario before? How about we change the ending this time." Heero said, still holding the gun as he held his shoulder and leaned all his weight on his good leg and the wall.

"I have an idea, how about this time you get in the cell like a good little rebel boy and stay alive for a few more hours till Treize decides your fate."

"Do you always do what Treize tells you? You his little sidekick? Did he even give you a cute codename and everything?" Heero mocked. Zechs grinned and said, "So much life and fire in those blue eyes of yours, like small pools of deceit and deception drowning any pathetic being faint-hearted enough to fall for them. Too bad, such a waste to see those youthful eyes dead with your body."

"Such poetic words for a military man."

"You have no idea." Zechs grinned again as he nodded to the gun in Heero's hand, "Drop it and kick it away from yourself." Heero reluctantly did so and Zechs said, "Put your hands where I can see them and walk into the cell." Heero painfully stretched his arms out and walked to the cell, stepping in and stopping. Zechs shut the door behind him and locked it, saying, "Behave yourself this time." Heero let out a low growl.

__

That's Heero's Gundam, he must be inside by now. Rachel thought as she landed her gundam. She set the controls to stealth mode and jumped out, racing to the security door and testing the knob.

__

Darn, it's locked. I wish I had asked Siah to teach me how to pick locks while he was still around. Rachel grumbled mentally. Just then, the door beeped and she dove behind it as it opened. She waited as a guard stepped out and slipped in just before the door closed. Her heart pounding in her chest, she looked around and thought, _Well, only one hallway but a million doors._ She quietly ran down the hall and ducked behind walls when someone appeared and disappeared through doors. She peeked around a corner briefly and ducked back as her heart raced.

__

Oh no, it's Zechs! What do I do now! She thought as she grit her teeth. With a gulp, she jumped around the corner and screamed, "Hey, Zechs, over here!" The officer turned around and stared at her shortly before yelling, "Who are you? Where'd you come from!" She took off down the hall she was in and Zechs started after her, yelling, "Stop! Come back here!" As she raced down the hall, she prayed to God that he wouldn't decide to shoot her down as he rapidly gained on her. She looked back to see how close he was and didn't see the guard in front of her that had just walked out of a doorway. They collided and went sprawling across the floor. Scrambling to get to her feet, Rachel started to run again but Zechs was too close. He grabbed her wrist and wrenched her back, causing her to scream in pain as she fell against his chest. He grabbed her shoulder with his other hand as she screamed and thrashed around, screaming, "Let me GO!" In the process of fighting, she managed to knock his helmet off, revealing his icy blue eyes that seemed to burn into her like a fire. She froze in his stare, her eyes wide with fear as he said, "Are you an ally of the boy I found running through here?" She couldn't think with his eyes on her, she felt like she was melting in his arms.

__

His eyes are. . .more beautiful. . .than on the show. So. . .hot. . .wow. . . Her legs began to wobble as she almost passed out, but she shook off the shock of being held by Zechs, saying, "Let-let me go, or else!"

"Or else what?" Zechs said, looking at her like she was crazy.

"Or. . .or else I'll. . ." She didn't know.

__

Or else I might go gaga over you and kiss you! Come on, Rachel, so what if he's a total babe in person, do something! She shut her eyes tightly and said, "Or else I'll make you let me go!"

"What?" He seemed confused by her almost harmless threats. She reached up with her free hand and touched his chest, a ring of light appearing around it. He blinked and released her, stepping back with wide eyes. She stretched out her hand and put it in his face, saying, "I command you to take me to my friend right now!" His widened eyes sagged and he said in a mechanical voice, "Right away." He turned and walked back the way he had come with Rachel cautiously following.

__

I hope Heero's alright. . .Rachel thought. Zechs stopped in front of the cell door and didn't move. She stopped behind him and said, "Uh, o-open the door." Zechs reached into his pocket and took out a ring of keys, placing the correct one in the lock and opening the door. Rachel peeked around Zechs' arm and saw Heero hunched over in the back of the cell, looking down at the ground. He looked up as the light outside hit him. He blinked as he saw Rachel's face staring at him from behind Zechs.

"How did you. . ." Heero said as she stepped inside and said to him, "Come on, we gotta get out of here before someone catches us!" She offered a hand to Heero and he stared at it reluctantly for a second. She sighed and said, "Come on, we don't have time to waste!" He finally reached up with his good hand and took hers, letting her pull him to his feet. He stumbled a bit and she put a supporting hand on his waist, saying, "Lean on me, okay?" He didn't argue as she pulled his arm around her shoulders and slipped her arm around his back to help hold him up. He limped with her out of the cell as he said, "But, Zechs. . ."

"Don't worry about him." She said, turning to Zechs, "Show us the way out, Zechs." He quietly turned and walked back down the hallway. They followed him as alarms blared overhead again.

"Sounds like they found Wufei." Rachel said, looking up at the spinning red lights. Heero seemed to put more weight on her as they walked and she said, "Hey, are you gonna make it?"

"Just. . .keep. . .walking." Heero said slowly, not showing any signs of pain outwardly. She frowned sadly and did as he said. They made their way out of the building and Zechs stopped again.

"Go back inside and forget that anything happened." Rachel said to Zechs. He returned to his duties just as Shenlong exploded out of the building, landing nearby. Rachel took off with Heero as fast as he could move over to Wing Gundam and stopped at its feet.

"Let go, I can get in on my own." Heero said, starting to climb into the gundam. She didn't want to let him but he was already halfway up. She watched to make sure he made it before running off to her own Gundam and getting in.

"I suggest you two get your butts moving because this place is going to blow in 10 seconds!" Wufei yelled over the comlink.

What! No, but Zechs- Rachel began to sweat.

Get moving! Heero said. Reluctantly she followed the other two Gundams as they flew away from the base. Suddenly, as they got about 100 feet away, the base shook and exploded in a huge ball of fire that towered into the sky and scattered bits of it across the forest.

__

Zechs. . .Rachel thought as a tear rolled down her cheek. The Gundams landed by the planes and their pilots climbed down to join the others.

"Heero, are you okay, man?" Duo said as he ran up to Heero and Rachel. Leaning a little harder on Rachel now and bleeding more, Heero said, "I'm. . .fine."

"Liar." Rachel said then turned to Wufei, "Do you have a mode of transport, Chang?"

"Yes, a plane a short distance from here." Wufei responded.

"I'll send my Gundam with you if you don't mind carrying it as well." Rachel said.

"Send it? What do you mean?" Chang asked, sounding confused.

"It has an auto pilot feature, it will follow your gundam and do as I program it to." Blinking, Chang said, "Fine. I'm leaving now."

"Alright. Quatre take Heero into the plane, I'll be with you in a moment." Rachel said. Quatre stepped up and took Heero's arm, helping him slowly over to the plane. Rachel ran to her Gundam and programmed it to go with Chang, then jumped down to join Quatre and Heero in their plane. The group waited for Wufei to leave before taking off, then circled till Chang joined them in the sky before heading off to the next city nearby, about 2 hours away.

"Heero, stop, let me." Rachel walked over to Heero who was attempting to tend to his wounds. She batted away his hands and knelt by his leg.

"Ra-" Heero tried to protest.

"Just sit back and relax, this may feel a little weird." Rachel said. Heero didn't have the strength to argue so he obeyed, painfully reclining in his seat. Rachel rested her hand over his bleeding calf, closing her eyes as Heero watched. Suddenly, Heero clenched the armrests as his eyes grew large, staring at Rachel's hand as the bullet shot out and into her hand. She held it up to Heero and said, "Hold this." Unclenching a hand, he took the bullet and stared at the red stained ball of metal, his eyes still huge with agitation. She placed her hand back over the still bleeding hole, closing her eyes again as Heero twitched, finding her healing disconcerting and unnerving. Finally, she pulled her hand away and revealed perfectly healed skin visible through the hole left by the bullet's entry. Heero seemed shocked beyond wonder at her working as she moved up to his shoulder. He leaned away a bit as she approached his wound, saying, "I can-"

"I don't care." Rachel said, staring deep into his eyes. He blinked and didn't move. She touched his shoulder and began to remove the bullet. Heero quickly looked away as strange tingles of pain and cold rushed up and down his spine, making him incredibly uncomfortable.

"There, you're all patched up. Now I suggest you rest until your body has recovered from the blood loss." Rachel said, reaching over and putting her hand on his balled up fist. He shot a glare at her and she said softly, "Can I take the bullet or would you rather keep it as a momento?" He looked down at his hand and opened it, tilting his hand to let the round ball fall into Rachel's waiting palm. She took it and stood up, walking over to the cockpit door and opening it.

"Where are you going?" Quatre said over his shoulder.

"I'm going to put these somewhere out of the way. I'll be right back." And she exited the cockpit. Quatre looked over at Heero as he settled back into his seat and slowly reached to touch his shoulder with a blank look on his face.

"Are you okay? You looked scared, Heero." Quatre said in a concerned tone. Heero glared at him and said, "I don't have fear."

"It's not a bad thing to be scared now and then, it's part of being human."

"Then I guess I'm not human." Heero rested in his seat and closed his eyes, trying to drown out the lingering chills by running through training techniques he'd been taught. Quatre sighed and thought, _You have no idea. . ._

"Do you think Heero killed Rachel?" Duo said suddenly. Trowa looked over at him and said, "Where'd that come from?"

"I was just thinking. . .would he kill her?"

"In his condition I doubt it. Don't worry, your girlfriend is safe." Trowa said, rolling his eyes.

"She's not my girlfriend! Geez, why does everyone keep saying that." Duo said, hiding a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Well, the moves you were putting on her earlier might be a clue."

"I. . .eh. . ." He couldn't deny it since Trowa walked by when it happened. Trowa looked over at him and Duo gulped, staring out the window.

"Don't. . .tell anyone." Duo said through his clenched jaw.

"What's your problem with letting people know you and her are. . .you know."

"Because we're not, okay? I don't even know if she likes me!"

"Hmm." Trowa looked back out at the sky, "Why don't you ask her?"

"Huh? What!" Duo looked at Trowa with nervously wide blue eyes.

"Ask her if she likes you. If not, then at least you don't have to worry anymore."

"I can't ask her! I. . .well, what if she says no." Duo said, looking away.

"Then she says no. She's not the last girl on the Earth you know."

"Oh you just want me to make a fool of myself so you can get in good with her!" Duo said, trying to get the attention off of his feelings.

"I don't even think of her that way, Duo, don't try to make me look like the bad guy just because you're too chicken to ask her." Trowa said coolly.

"I'm not chicken! FINE, I'll ask her!" Duo said, frowning angrily as he gripped the steering wheel and flew faster. Trowa rolled his eyes and thought, _He won't do it, he's scared._

"Alright, at least this city's still safe." Quatre said as he landed the plane in the loading dock. He unbuckled and stood up, stretching and yawning.

"Heero's still asleep, should we leave him here while we get supplies?" Rachel said, looking at the peaceful looking soldier boy slumbering in the chair next to her.

"I thought he was looking for something that he couldn't find at the last city we stopped at." Quatre said as he walked over to her.

"Oh, but he looks so content." Rachel said. Quatre sighed and smiled, saying, "I guess we can leave him here. Maybe he'll wake up on his own."

"Yeah, I'm sure he will eventually. Come on, I'm starved, let's find a restaurant!" Rachel said, grabbing Quatre's hand and pulling him out of the cockpit. They ran down the ramp together and stopped when they saw Duo and Trowa getting out.

"Hey Duo, we're going to get a bite to eat while Heero's still sleeping, wanna come?" Rachel said, waving to Duo and Trowa.

"Uh, sure." Duo said, staring at Rachel and Quatre's hands. Trowa cocked an eyebrow and whispered, "Looks like Quatre beat you to her. Tough luck." Trowa walked down the ramp as Duo grit his teeth.

__

Better not have. . .or else that skinny little punk's butt is mine. Duo thought as he tried to hide his jealousy from Rachel. He joined the group and said, "So where to? Fast food, Italian, Chinese?"

"Chinese." Wufei said as he walked up to them.

"I love Chinese! Let's go!" Rachel said. She reached over and grabbed Duo's hand as she smiled at him. He blinked and smiled back, trying not to show his confusion. She took off running and the boys kept up with her as Trowa and Chang took up the rear, talking quietly amongst themselves about various subjects. As the three teens ran down the sidewalk, Rachel stopped and said, "Ah, Chinese!"

"Are you sure that's Chinese and not Japanese?" Duo said, "Cause I hate sushi."

"Me too, I've never liked it much." Quatre agreed as he tried to figure out what the restaurant served. Chang and Trowa finally caught up to the three and Chang said, "Are you three just going to stand there or are we going in sometime this century?"

"Is it Chinese? I can't read your alphabet." Rachel said.

"No, it's Korean." Wufei said with an irritated eye roll, "Move it."

"Well fine, you don't have to be rude about it." Duo said as they walked into the restaurant together. Chang got them all a table and they sat down. But that's when the troubles began.

"Um. . .Chang?" Rachel said, blankly staring at the menu.

"What." Chang said, scanning the menu for a meal.

"I. . .um. . .don't know what it says."

"Huh?"

"I think she's trying to say that she can't read Chinese. . .and neither can we." Duo said, Quatre nodding in agreement. Chang rolled his eyes and muttered something about them being weak bakas as he told them what was on the menu.

"Wow, that says egg roll?" Duo said, scratching his head at the symbols Chang easily read off.

"Who would of thought. . ." Quatre said, staring as well. While Chang fused at them over their ignorance, Rachel figured out what to order, still with an air of confusion about her. Trowa blinked and leaned over, whispering, "Need help?"

"Huh? You understand this?" Rachel whispered back.

"Do you like fried rice with pork and egg rolls?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Than just tell them you want the same as me, it'll be easier." She smiled and said, " 'Kay." as she folded her menu up. The three other boys quieted down when the waiter came and Chang ordered first, then Trowa did.

"I'll have the same." Rachel said with a smile to the waiter.

__

How does she know what he's having? Or is she just ordering because. . .gasp She LIKES him! Duo thought, clearing his throat and taking a gulp of his water. The other two ordered and the waiter left. For a few moments, the table was quiet except for the occasional sounds of water being drunk, causing a few of the occupants to shift in their seat nervously, itching to start a conversation but not wanting to get killed by the menacing Wufei and his trusty katana within inches of his hand. Rachel finally couldn't stand the silence anymore. She pushed her chair back and said, "Excuse me, my hair's most likely a horrid mess, I'll be right back!" She walked a ways away from the table, looking back and forth and around.

"It's that way." Chang said, pointing in the direction of a door in the far corner of the restaurant.

"Oh, heh, I knew that." Rachel giggled as she hurried to the bathroom. Everyone seemed to let out a soft sigh as Chang took a sip of tea. Looking across the table, Duo said, "So. . .Trowa. . .how's, uh, your head. . .feeling." Trowa looked up from his napkin, which had been turned into an origami swan, and said, "Fine."

"That's good." Quatre looked back and forth at the boys, feeling a little out of place in the group as he poured himself some tea. Duo opened his napkin and took out his silverware, placing them aside as he attempted to make something out of origami as well. Quatre looked over at the fervently working pilot and said, "What are you making?" Duo finished and said, "A dog."

"Looks more like something a dog would emit." Chang mused with a slight grin. Duo frowned and muttered under his breath, "Looks like your face."

"What did you say?" Chang said, getting slightly defensive as a vein protruded from his left temple.

"This is a nice place. . ." Duo said, looking around, trying to act innocent. Chang grit his teeth and said, "That's not what you said."

"You're just imagining things because you think everyone's against you."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Chill out, Wu-man." The vein was now ten times bigger as Chang's eye began to twitch and his hand went for his katana.

"Duo, he doesn't like being called that." Quatre hissed in a low whisper.

"So? What's he gonna do, kill me?" Duo said, not looking very concerned. Suddenly Chang pulled the sword out and took on a fighting stance.

"Outside, Baka, RIGHT now!" Chang exclaimed in anger. Duo began to sweat as he stared at the gleaming blade in the angry Chinese boy's hands.

"What's going on?" Rachel said as she came running out of the bathroom.

"Duo called Chang something he didn't like." Trowa said calmly, being careful not to get attacked as well.

"And he wants to kill him because of that?" Rachel frowned and looked at Chang. Suddenly, the manager came running over jabbering in Chinese while waving his arms frantically. Chang spoke to him and finally sighed, putting his sword away and waving off the jumpy man, sitting back down in his seat and taking a lengthy sip of his tea as the others stood like statues staring at him nervously. Chang looked up with an annoyed glance and said, "I'll kill you later." They all let out a heavy sigh that they had been holding in as they settled back into their seats and waited again for the food to come.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Huh? Where's Rachel and Quatre." Heero looked sleepily around the cabin and found himself alone. Standing, his head spun briefly and he touched it, leaning his hand on the chair.

__

Better take it easy, I'm still a little weak. He thought as he looked out the window to see a metal wall like the inside of a docking bay. He strolled out and down the ramp as he looked around, saying, "I guess they ditched me for the city. Might as well get my business taken care of while they're gone." He walked away from the plane after shutting it and made his way into the crowded walkways. As he weaved through the pedestrians, a news broadcast caught his eye. He stopped and watched it.

"Earlier today, the young daughter of the late Mr. Darlian has been kidnapped by a rebel group and put up for a ransom of 4.5 million dollars. The captures were not identified but they proudly noted their ownership of 5 Gundam mobile suits and stated their willingness to use them if necessary. More updates on this at 5."

__

Someone's posing as us. . .and they have Relena. This is not good. Heero took off running down the street to search for his allies.

"Wow, that was GREAT! I'm stuffed!" Duo said as he leaned back and patted his stomach happily, smiling in satisfaction of his empty plate.

"I should hope so, that was your fifth plate of food!" Quatre said, barely finishing his second plateful. Rachel placed her silverware at the corner of her plate and said after patting off her lips, "We should head back to the docking bay and check on Heero, he may be wondering where we went."

"I don't think he would care." Trowa said.

"Hey, was that him?" Quatre said, looking at the crowds walking by the front door. Rachel jumped up and ran to the door, looking out. Sure enough, she spotted Heero ducking in and out of the crowds as he ran down the sidewalk.

"HEERO!" Rachel called out to him as loud as she could over the roar of the chatter by the passersby. Heero stopped and turned, looking back at her. He ran back and said, sounding slightly out of breath, "There you are."

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you." Rachel said. The others paid for the meal and slowly joined them.

"That doesn't matter. We have a problem." Heero said, stepping into the doorway to get out of the rush of people pushing by him.

"Huh? Problem?" Duo had just walked up and overheard their conversation.

"Relena's been kidnapped." Heero said.

"What! When!" Quatre exclaimed.

"Earlier today. But that's not the big problem. Her kidnappers. . .they're posing as us."

"How do you know?" Chang asked.

"I caught a news report on my way out and they said the kidnappers boasted having Gundams."

"This is bad, we have to get out of here before someone finds out what's in our planes!" Duo said, stepping out of the doorway.

"Right, let's go!" Rachel said, as she joined Duo. The group headed quickly back to the docking bay and unfortunately found police and officials roaming around and snooping around the planes docked there.

"We can't get to them now, they'll arrest us!" Duo hissed.

"Leave it to me." Rachel said, starting to step out of the shadows. Duo grabbed her arm and said, "What! Are you kidding, you'll get caught!"

"Duo, don't worry. Just stay here, I'll take care of this. You just wait for my signal." She said and pulled free of Duo's hand. She walked out into the loading dock, looking almost lost as she walked up to a group of young policemen and said, "Oh, excuse me but I do believe I'm lost. Could you boys help me?" They smiled and gathered around her as she put on the innocent airhead act quite thick. The policemen seemed to hang on her every word as she flirted her head off to keep them distracted.

"She's good. . .are you sure she's not a secret agent?" Chang said as he watched the men suddenly scramble to find a map for her. She looked around absentmindedly and let her hand fall to her side, her finger motioning to the boys.

"That's our signal, let's go." Heero said, stealthily running out of the shadows with the others close on his heels. They snuck into their planes and waited for Rachel to finish with her work. The guards came back with various maps and she acted all happy and surprised, saying, "Oh my! Thank you, you guys are just so nice! I always appreciated a man in uniform." She winked and took one of the maps from a particularly handsome officer, saying as she ran the map lightly down his chest, "You're so helpful, I don't know what I'd do without you." With a flirty turn, she walked away to disappear behind the planes. Quickly, she ran to Heero and Quatre's plane and got in, joining them in the cockpit.

"Alright, let's get out of here before they stop drooling." Rachel said, sitting down in her chair.

"Nice work, don't think I could have shoved my chest and butt in their face quite like you." Heero mocked mildly as he looked out the window.

"Oh be quiet, I had to if you guys wanted to get out of here alive!"

"Uh huh."

"I didn't enjoy that so would you just drop it? Thanks." Rachel said, taking the privilege of ending the discussion. She sat back in her seat, looking ticked as Quatre started the engines. The planes began to turn to fly out but as they approached the exit, a group of policemen gathered in their takeoff space with their guns drawn.

"We can't run over them, it wouldn't be right!" Quatre said as he nervously stared at the little people lined up outside. Rachel grunted and put out her hand, quickly sweeping it to the side while outside the men flew against the wall in a messy pile.

"You can go now." Rachel said, crossing her arms with her eyes closed. Quatre stared blankly at the clear runway and said, "Um. . .okay then." The planes took off and were airborne in seconds.

"We have to form a plan before we set out to rescue Relena, the last attack we made didn't turn out so good." Heero said in his usual monotone voice, speaking over the comlink to the others.

We're rescuing Relena? I thought we were attacking OZ bases! Duo commented.

"Her captors are posing as us, we have to get her to safety and find out who is playing Gundam behind our backs." Heero stated.

It's an injustice to convince the world that we are the evildoers in this war, I say we teach them some respect. Wufei said, sounding a bit peeved that someone would dare to mock them.

But do we even have an idea of where they are? Trowa asked.

"I can figure that out by getting to a place that I can hook my laptop to and find information of her last known sightings." Heero said.

So where to first? They're probably looking for us everywhere we go, it would be impossible to sneak in with our Gundams aboard. Duo stated.

"That is going to be a problem. We can station ourselves outside of the next city. It has a thick forest surrounding it on 3/4ths of the perimeter and water on the west coast. If we come in shortly before nightfall, we may be able to find a place to sleep for the night while I do my work, it'll only take me a few hours but it would look suspicious if we left in the middle of the night."

So we're spending the night?

It would appear so, baka. Wufei said, sounding perturbed.

"Do we have money to spend on a hotel?" Quatre asked.

"Don't worry about that, I can arrange something." Heero said.

Does it involve a gun up someone's nose? Duo asked.

"Possibly."

Alrighty then, let's go!

"We'll need to land about a mile from the city to avoid radar detection from the inside, so be ready to walk."

I could use the exercise, and so can a certain someone. Wufei commented.

Are you talkin' about me? Duo asked, sounding defensive.

I did not mention your name, Maxwell, do not assume that everything has to be about you.

I didn't!

"Can we get back to the subject at hand, guys?" Rachel asked, knowing she could get Duo to be quiet.

Fine. . .so while Heero hacks into the news and whatever else, what do we do? Duo asked.

"Sleep, it'll be too late to wander around." Heero commented.

But the map says the next closest city is Geosano, the home of the nightlife! I can't just lay around snoozing while there's partying to be done, fun to be had! Duo complained.

"Fine, do what you want but don't attract too much attention to yourself." Heero said, rolling his eyes. "We'll arrive at our destination landing spot in 30 minutes, be ready to leave as soon as we land."

Roger, over and out! Duo said, ending the link.

10-4. Wufei said and ended the connection. Rachel leaned back and relaxed, putting her hands behind her head and sighing.

"Rachel, I want you to go with Duo if he wants to see the city." Heero said. Looking a bit shocked, Rachel lowered her arms and said, "What? Why?"

"I don't trust him to keep a low profile, you can keep him from going totally insane and picking up chicks."

"Gee thanks, I appreciate it." Rachel said sarcastically.

"I thought you'd be glad to go out on the town with him."

"Why?"

"Aren't you. . ."

"No, and I don't think we ever will. We're friends, just as much as I'm friends with the rest of you."

"Even Chang?" Heero seemed to be trying to poke fun at her.

"Even Chang." She responded, almost sounding reluctant to have said so.

"Finally, I thought we'd never make it!" Duo said as they walked up to the main road into the city. The sun had almost disappeared on the horizon and they were just in time to get in before they closed the main gate. They explored the streets searching for a hotel to sleep in and finally found one that wasn't full.

"There's so many people here!" Quatre said as he bumped into a few people, politely excusing himself.

"Must be a festival or something going on, perfect cover." Trowa commented. Heero only grunted and opened the hotel door. They stepped in and Heero ordered 3 rooms, getting their keys and heading upstairs. They gathered in the hallway and Heero said, "We have three rooms so we'll have to pair up for the night. Pick someone you don't mind sleeping with." Trowa and Wufei agreed to taking a room together and the others stared at each other, not sure what to do.

"Since you're the only girl, you pick a roommate." Quatre said to Rachel. She wasn't too keen on sleeping with any of them but she looked at Quatre with a bit of embarrassment.

"I'll. . .I'll stay with Quatre." Rachel said. Duo seemed a bit hurt and shocked and Quatre was surprised.

"Are you sure?" Heero looked a bit unnerved by the prospect of sleeping in the same room as Duo but didn't complain.

"Yes. It's just one night, right? No big deal?" Rachel said, trying to avoid Duo's stare. Heero gave Rachel a look as if to remind her that she had to spend the evening with Duo anyway. She sighed and looked torn between changing her mind and making due with her decision.

"Well I'm gonna go check out the city, see you in the morning." Duo said, turning to walk away. Heero opened the hotel door and called to Duo, tossing the key to him.

"So you don't have to knock and disturb me." Heero said just before stepping into the room and closing the door. Trowa and Wufei headed to their room and left Quatre, Duo, and Rachel alone in the hallway. Rachel looked over at Duo, trying not to look upset as she said, "I don't really feel tired yet, do you mind if I come with you?" Duo looked down the hall and said, "Why, don't you wanna head off to bed early." She frowned, feeling hurt by his comment. Quatre sensed some tension and said, "I need to go to bed early," Opening the door, he gave Rachel the key, "Here, I'll leave a light on for you."

"Okay." Rachel said quietly, taking the key. Duo had already started down the hall, looking very upset.

"Good luck." Quatre whispered before he closed the door. She nodded and ran off to catch up to Duo.

"Hey, wait up, Duo!" Rachel called to him.

"Why, I thought you were going to stay with Quatre tonight." She grabbed his arm and he looked at her.

"I have too much energy, let's sneak into a night club and have some fun." She said, trying to lighten his spirits. He looked away, his hands in his pockets.

"I'm not in a partying mood, you can go if you want. I just want to walk around for a while."

"Then I'll walk with you." Duo stopped and looked at her.

"Why are you following me if I want to be out half the night but you won't stay in the same room with me?" she paused and looked embarrassed. Duo frowned and pulled away, saying, "Go sleep with Quatre, I know you want to." Her mouth fell open and she couldn't move, she was shocked by his cruel comment. He didn't stop as he took off down the stairs and out of the hotel. Trowa came walking down the hall just then and saw her standing in the middle of the hallway, still as a statue. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Rachel? Is something wrong?" She looked at him, still a shocked expression on her face as she said, "Why can't I tell him? What am I scared of?" She suddenly hugged Trowa, hiding her tears. He blinked in surprise and decided to just hug her back till she stopped. Her sobs echoed through the hallway and Quatre opened his door, peeking out to find out who it was that was crying.

"Rachel, what happened?" Quatre said as he ran up them. Trowa shrugged and Rachel looked up at Quatre, saying, "He. . .he thinks. . .I can't believe he said that!" She started crying again and Quatre put his hand on her back, gently rubbing her shoulder blades as he said, "Rachel, he. . .he's just a little confused about things, I'm sure he didn't mean whatever he said."

"He said, 'Go sleep with Quatre, I know you want to'!" She started bawling again and Quatre's eyes grew large at Duo's comment.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it that way!" Quatre said, a bit hot under the collar. Trowa looked at him as if to say, "we're talking about Duo, here." And said, "He's just jealous because he likes you." Rachel looked up and said, "But how could he say such a thing to me!"

"He probably doesn't know how you feel about him. He's a bit. . .self-conscious, you just have to tell him how you feel."

"Well right now I feel like decking him." Rachel said, hot tears rolling down her cheek. Quatre wiped them away and said, "I know but that's just how he is, he's not very sure that he's good enough to catch your eye I suppose."

"He's scared." Rachel looked up at Trowa and said, "What?" Trowa looked calmly into her watery eyes and said, "He's afraid of rejection if you say no, which is why he won't tell you how he feels. I suppose you can say he has other ways of showing his feelings and he uses words to hide his fears."

"I guess I should have figured that one out on my own. So much for knowing everything about you guys." Rachel said with a sigh.

"I suggest you go find him and tell him how you feel before he's convinced you're into Quatre here."

"Yes, please talk to him." Quatre said, still upset about what Duo said. She nodded and wiped away her tears, smiling at the two boys. She hugged Trowa again and said, "Thank you for telling me how he felt and letting me cry on you." He looked to the side and didn't say anything. She let go and smiled at Quatre, saying, "Thank you, both of you, for being such great friends!"

"Well, you better go find Duo before he wanders into a bar and gets drunk." Quatre said, trying to smile. Rachel's smile disappeared and she said, "But. . .I don't want to get lost trying to find him out there."

"We'll come with you so you don't have to be alone, right Quatre?" Trowa said, looking over at his friend. He nodded and said, "Of course, let's go!" They walked off down the hallway and left the building, getting into the crowds to begin their search for Duo.

"He said he just wanted to walk so maybe he's still somewhere nearby." Rachel said, sounding worried. As they wandered through the crowd, Trowa looked ahead to an opening in the street by the water. Over against a railing at the edge of the paved walkway was a dark figure gazing out over the lake.

"There he is." Trowa said, pointing to the distant person. Rachel looked and said, "Are you sure?"

"Who else wears a dark blue uniform?" Trowa said. She smiled and ran out of the crowd, calling out to the dark figure to make sure it was him before she made a fool of herself. He turned and watched her run up to him with a smile. She stopped in front of him and said, "Duo, I have to tell you something so don't say anything till I'm done, okay?" He blinked and said, "Okay."

"Duo. . .I love you and if you don't feel the same that's fine but I just wanted to tell you so you didn't get any wrong ideas when I'm with the others. I hang out with guys all the time so I'm touchy feely a lot with them, not to be flirty but I just feel comfortable enough to. I only want you, Duo, so please don't be mad at me for picking Quatre as my roommate!" Duo's eyes were wide with the sudden confession Rachel spilled out, and couldn't think of anything to say in return. She stared into his eyes for a minute as her smile softened. Touching his cheek, she said, "I love you, Duo, didn't you hear me?"

"I heard you." Duo said, still a blank expression on his face.

"Don't leave here hanging, Duo, tell her how you feel." Trowa said as he walked up to them with Quatre not far behind. Duo looked at him and blinked, saying, "You. . .you told her what I said, didn't you!"

"I had to, you obviously weren't going to." Rachel put both of her hands on his cheeks and brought his focus back to her, staring adoringly into his eyes.

"Duo. . .I love you. . ."

"I. . ." Duo looked nervous as he looked at the ground. She tipped his chin back up and said, "Maybe this will help." Tilting her head, she leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his, pulling him closer as he wrapped his arms around her. Quatre smiled and elbowed Trowa who was watching them, motioning to give them some privacy. They walked away and leaned on the railing several feet down. Rachel played her fingers through Duo's hair as they kissed, stepping closer to him till they could feel each other's hearts pounding. Duo slowly ran his hands up and down her back, pulling her against his body as one hand slid down her spine. She reached back and grabbed his hand before it got too much lower and said, "Don't start getting fresh with me, Duo."

"I thought I already was." Duo said with a sly grin. She put his hand on her waist and slowly reached her hand up to his face, running her finger down across his lips and chin, slowly letting her hand settle on his chest. He looked deep into her eyes and said, "I love you, Rachel. . .don't ever go back to your home, stay here with me and make a new place by my side." She softly smiled and said, "We'll see what time has to say about it. . ." She gently kissed his lips again as bursts of light brightened the dark street, bringing them out of their romantic mood. They both turned to watch as some fireworks exploded overhead in brilliant blues and greens.

"Wow, looks like you two aren't the only ones making fireworks tonight." Trowa commented as he leaned against the railing next to Duo. Quatre walked around them and relaxed next to Rachel, smiling as she smiling back. They watched the show with excited eyes, the light playing off their smiling faces.

"Woah, that was huge!" Duo said, pointing to a red starburst in the sky.

"Yeah." Rachel said, smiling up as she watched. With a content sigh, she thought to herself, _I wish this moment would last forever. . ._ She looked over at Duo and watched the sparkles dance in his eyes, _This has to be a dream, so much happiness can't be possible. . .but. . .he's so close to me, it couldn't be. Like a dream come true. . ._ Duo looked over at her and she smiled. He grinned back and scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and leaning his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes and sighing. Rachel rested her head gently against his, feeling a soft bay breeze rustle her hair and tickle her nose with Duo's bangs. More fireworks surged through the air and created beautiful and soothing balls of color that shimmered into light clouds, slowly taking their impression away with the wind.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the song "O-O-H Child", even though it's a really cute song. I also don't claim Quatre would have a heart attack from being kissed! .

Chapter 13

"That was an awesome fireworks display! Did you see the one that looked like a ring?" Duo said cheerfully as the group stepped into the hotel.

"I liked the white ones the best, they looked like stars falling from the sky." Rachel said musingly, squeezing Duo's arm and tilting her head toward him. They paused in the hallway and Trowa said, "Sleep well, we have a lot of planning to do in the morning. Goodnight."

"Sleep well, Trowa!" Quatre said cheerfully as he waved goodbye to him. He turned then to the two lovebirds whispering to each other softly and giggling. Quatre couldn't help but smile at them.

__

They make such a cute couple, even if Duo has to tippitoe to kiss Rachel! Quatre thought as he chuckled. Rachel looked over at him and blushed, just noticing he was still there. Quatre looked over at their door and said, "If you'd like I can trade keys with Duo and go stay with Heero tonight."

"Uh. . ." Rachel's smile disappeared and she said, "That's okay, I think I'd like to sleep tonight, not stay up talking." Duo cocked an eyebrow and thought, _Talk? Who says I have talking in mind. . ._

I know what you're thinking Duo, and it ain't happening. Rachel thought as she saw Duo's expression. She tapped his nose and said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"As soon as possible." Duo whispered, giving her a deep and gentle kiss, causing Quatre to scratch his head and look at the floor. They pulled away from each other and Duo walked down the hall toward his room, saying quietly, "Sleep sweet, Rachel."

"Sweet dreams, Duo." Rachel softly spoke just before blowing him a kiss. He caught it and brought it to his heart, floating into the doorway as he opened his room door and slowly closed it behind him. Rachel sighed and said, "Okay, let's get some sleep before it gets any later." She unlocked their door and opened it, finding a light on inside. Rachel was a little puzzled for a minute until Quatre looked in and chuckled, saying, "Oops, I left the light on." She rolled her eyes and walked in, finding the room rather tight. There was one of everything in the room: one closet, one dresser, one bathroom, one lamp. . .and one bed. Luckily, it was a queen size, so no one had to sleep on the floor. Rachel sat on the edge of the bed and bounced a little to test the level of firmness.

"Nice and soft, just the way I like it." Rachel said joyfully. She looked up to find her roommate. Leaning over a bit, she spotted him in the bathroom undressing. She quickly sat up straight and blinked.

__

I sure hope he's gonna take a shower cause he is not coming to bed without any clothes on! Rachel thought as she stared at the wall.

"Do you mind if I shower before we sleep? I haven't had a hot bath in almost a week!" Quatre said over his shoulder.

"Oh, sure! Shower away!" She said with a slight laugh, letting out a sigh of relief. As she heard the low hum of the shower drift into the room, she laid back on the bed, spreading her arms out across the sheets. She stared at the ceiling for a while but her eyelids became heavy and slowly closed. The sound of the shower started to lull her to sleep when she heard it suddenly shut off. Footsteps echoed into her mind and she heard a soft voice say, "Rachel, are you asleep?" She peeked open an eye to see Quatre looking down at her, wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. She sat up and said, "Uh, yeah, I just got a little sleepy." She looked down at her lap as he walked back and forth, picking up his clothes and bringing them out to place his shoes at the foot of the bed. He paused and looked over at Rachel, saying, "Are you going to shower?"

"I don't have anything else to wear and it's not fun getting back into a body suit after a shower." She said.

"Does that mean you have to wear that all night? Are you sure you don't want to go see if you can get a robe or something?"

"It's okay, Quatre, I've slept in it before and I don't think one more night will be much of a bother."

"Okay. Do you mind if I don't wear my shirt?"

"No, that's fine." He smiled and walked back into the bathroom and closed the door to get dressed again. Rachel stood and unlocked her belt, pulling it off and setting it carefully aside, making sure the silk skirt attached to it didn't get wrinkled. She sat back down and wiggled her cramped toes, aching to be free from the boots. Quatre walked back out, now wearing pants, rubbing his damp hair with the towel he was wearing. He sat down next to Rachel on the bed and said, "So, did you have a good time?"

"What did it look like to you?" She answered, looking over at him briefly. He smiled and said, "Well, I thought you were a bit carried away for a first kiss but hey, to each's own." She looked down at her lap, fumbling with her fingers slowly.

"You're right, it was a bit fast. I. . .I honestly don't know what got into me, I haven't really acted like myself lately ever since I got here. Never in a million years would I have dreamt of kissing a guy before I was married, let alone kissing like. . .that." She looked embarrassed as she looked away. Quatre stopped smiling and looked concerned, saying, "Is that why you didn't want to switch rooms?" She nodded. He turned to face her and said, "But why are you so comfortable being here with me?"

"Because, I trust you. You're always so sweet and nice and I figured you would never. . ."

"I'm basically the safe guy?" Quatre finished for her. She nodded again.

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all, I'd rather be the safe guy than the. . .rebel. . ." He said, blushing a little. She smiled and said, "You're so much sweeter in person, I'm glad I met you."

"I'm glad I met you too, you've made my life worth while." Quatre said. He stood up and walked around the bed to the other side, sitting down and stretching, letting out a yawn as pulled his feet up onto the bed. He laid back on the bed and folding his hands over his stomach and propping one knee up. Looking over at Rachel, he said, "Are you going to go to sleep yet?"

"In a minute, I just want to pray for a second." He looked surprised and said softly, "Oh. . .okay." She bowed her head down and folded her hands in her lap, becoming silent. Quatre watched her, a little curious of her faith, and what she had to pray about. . .or who. She finally sat up straight and sighed, pulling herself completely onto the bed and sitting Indian style on the sheets, hunching over a bit as she itched at her boot. Quatre saw this and said, "I can lend you my shirt for the night, it's really long." She looked over at him with a confused look and said, "What?"

"You can wear my shirt, so you don't have to sleep in that. You can't convince me that you're not uncomfortable when you're scratching at your clothes." He said with a little grin. She blushed a little and said, "Well. . .I. . ."

"I won't peek at you if you do, I'm not a pervert." Quatre added. She blushed more and said softly, "I never said you were. I. . .I just don't know. . ." He rolled over and reached to the floor, pulling up his shirt and showing it to her.

"See? It's actually a bit bigger than I would like it to be but I'm sure it would completely cover you, like a nightgown!" He said with a smile. She looked at it for a minute. It was long enough. Finally, she took it and looked down at it.

"I suppose. . .but promise you won't look at me too closely?" She said, giving him and look, slightly sarcastic. He laughed and nodded, watching her stand and walk into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she cracked open the door and peeked out to see if he was still awake. He was.

"How does it fit?" Quatre said, looking over at her. She blushed a little and said quietly, "Fine. Look away for a second so I can get into bed." He chuckled softly and rolled away, looking at the wall. He heard the quick creek of the door and fast pattering of her footsteps as the bed bounced up and down after she jumped in, the covers flying up and quickly back down. He couldn't help but laugh as she said, "You can look now. . .if you want." He rolled back over and smiled at her, seeing her indignant expression and choking back an outburst. She frowned and said, "What's so funny? If you're going to be a dork about it-"

"No no, it's fine. I just chuckle think it's funny how you got in bed." She rolled her eyes and scrunched down under the sheets. He composed himself and sighed, saying, "Do you want me to stay above the covers or do you not mind me being down there with you?" She eyed him again and said, "As long as you behave yourself and keep your hands on your side of the bed, you may sleep under the covers." He didn't hesitate to whip the covers up and over himself, snuggling in and smiling contently. A few moments of silence hung in the air until Rachel yelped and glared at Quatre, who was stifling a laugh.

"I consider poking personal contact, young man!" Rachel said, pulling the covers over to her side of the bed. Quatre pulled them back and she started wrestling over the covers with him. Finally, they got to a happy medium and calmed down. Quatre couldn't help but let out a little giggle, causing Rachel to look irritated at him.

"Are you sure you can trust me? I don't know, I might get wild later on during the night. . ." He joked, knowing it would tick her off. She kicked him under the sheets and he said, "Ooo, personal contact. . ."

"Now we're even, dweeb. . ."

"I'm a dweeb now, huh?"

"Yes, it's quite a step up from dork, you should be honored."

"I am." She sighed and suddenly wrinkled her nose, sitting up and grabbing her foot. Quatre stared at her as she grumbled and rubbed her foot. Sitting up as well, he said, "What's wrong?"

"My foot's cramped up. All that walking around with heels for several days made my feet achy." She complained as she frowned and wiggled her toes painfully. He waved his hands at her feet and said, "Here, I'll take care of that." With a blink, she replied, "What do you mean?"

"I know how to get rid of cramps really fast, come here." She turned and pulled her feet out, letting him rest them in his lap and begin slowly and gently massaging them. She closed her eyes and let out a soft moan of joy. He glanced up at her and softly smiled, rubbing until she motioned to him.

"Now the other one." He happily obeyed and switched feet, beginning to rub her cramped up toes. She rested her head on her shoulder as she enjoyed the pain relief, relaxing and letting her mind drift off to ease. He finally stopped and stared blankly at her, watching her open her eyes and look at him, a little surprised by the look. She blinked her eyes and said, "Why are you looking at me like that?" He didn't respond as he looked shamefully to the side. She pulled her feet back and cocked her head as she stared at his saddened expression. She looked sad too as she said, "Quatre, what's wrong? Why do you look like you did something bad?"

"Not so much did something but. . .thought something." Quatre muttered.

"Thought. . .something?" She tucked the shirt down into her lap and looked unnerved. He looked up guiltily and said, "I'm sorry, maybe I should go see if I can stay in someone else's room. . ."

"What did you think. . .about. . ." Rachel said as she looked in her lap. He looked down at his own lap and said slowly, "I. . .I thought about kissing you. And some other stuff. But I stopped myself before my mind got too carried away."

"I see." Was all she said, it was all she could say without shaking with nervousness. Quatre looked so guilty she thought he might run out of the room but he didn't move. She finally looked up and smiled, saying, "Have you ever been kissed before?" He looked surprised by her question.

"No. . ." He said. She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss, leaning back and saying, "Quatre, I have always thought you were sweet and nice, and I wish that I felt something more than friendship for you but. . .my heart belongs to Duo." Quatre turned away and laid down, curling up in the covers and clenching the sheets tightly at the edges in his sweaty palms. Rachel looked sadly at him as her heart ached in her chest, causing her to sigh in grief. Her jaw quivered as she looked sadder, whispering through a choked up throat, "I didn't mean to hurt you, Quatre, please forgive me. . ." She got up and ran to the bathroom, shutting the door. Quatre sat up and stared at the closed door as he heard soft weeping echoing through the wood. His stomach churned and he felt a chill run up his spine as he stood up and walked over to the door. He turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly, looking down to find Rachel on her knees crying. He fell to his knees in front of her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Rachel, please don't cry because of me; my heart hurts now. . ." She couldn't stop the tears, they fell on their own as she sobbed, "I'm so sorry. . ."

"Stop, please! Don't cry, please don't cry. . ." Tears began to roll down his cheeks as he held her tighter and cried with her. She shook with every breath of air, every sob she let out. Her whole body shook violently and Quatre pulled her into his lap, cradling her like a small child. Whether for his own comfort or hers, he held her close, holding her head against his cold and sweaty chest. She heard his heart pounding like a drum in her ear, making her own skip a beat as she gasped for air. She had held her breath as she realized how devastated Quatre was acting, becoming very emotional over a mere thought he had. She tried to control her shaking as she said, "Quatre, why are you acting like this? A thought doesn't make people break down into tears!" He couldn't respond as more tears and sobs bubbled up inside him, taking his voice and strength from him. He rested his head on hers as he began to shake as well, his hands pulling her closer as he lost control of his shaking. Rachel touched his arm, saying, "Please stop, Quatre, this isn't good for your heart. . ."

"I. . .I can't." He said, sounding slightly scared by his shaking. She pulled herself up and unwrapped his arms, taking him in her arms and holding him, trying to help his shaking stop. She gently stroked his wet blonde hair, softly curling his locks in her fingers as she said, "Listen to my voice, Quatre. Just calm down and relax. I'll sing you a song that I love so dearly. . ." She slowly started to rock back and forth as she sang.

"♪Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier; Ooh-oo child, things'll get brighter. Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier; Ooh-oo child, things'll be brighter. Some day, yeah, we'll put it together and we'll get it all done. Some day, when your head is much lighter. Some day, yeah, we'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun. Some day, when the world is much brighter. Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier; Ooh-oo child, things'll get brighter. Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier; Ooh-oo child, things'll be brighter. Some day, yeah, we'll put it together and we'll get it all done. Some day, when your head is much lighter. Some day, yeah, we'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun. Some day, when the world is much brighter.♪" She gently brushed his forehead, smiling down at him as he slowly stopped shaking and began to breathe steadily, his eyes closed and his hands clamped around her right hand, holding on tight. She could feel his calmed breaths on her skin, signaling his recovery from his heart problems.

__

Oh Quatre. . .you're like a little child in my arms. . . Rachel thought as she leaned down and kissed his forehead.

Duo stirred in the bed, rolling from side to side trying to get comfortable. But thoughts of Rachel and Quatre being alone in a room all night made him uneasy. He flopped onto his back and sighed, suddenly feeling a pillow whap him in the face.

"Wha!" Duo sat up.

"If you're going to do that all night then get out, I still have some work to do." Heero muttered, annoyance in his voice as he was finding nothing conclusive. Duo hunched over and pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging them with his arms.

"I'm sorry, it's just. . ." Duo looked sadly at the door. With an eye roll, Heero turned his chair and faced him, trying not to look like he wanted to kill him, even though he did.

"Alright, get it all out." Heero said. He knew if he didn't let Duo talk it out he would roll around and moan all night and he couldn't get any work done with that going on.

"Well. . .Rachel's over there with Quatre. . .alone." Duo said, looking at Heero's dark figure in the shadows.

"You don't trust Quatre."

"I don't trust any guy to be alone with her. . ."

"Not even yourself?"

"Well, that's me, I'm the one that wants her and. . ."

"Oh, now you want her? I thought you were just friends. . ." Heero seemed amused.

"We were but she told me how she felt about me earlier before we came back and. . .she kissed me." Heero cocked an eyebrow.

"And you wanted to get in a little action before morning?"

"Well. . .naturally, I'm a guy so I would think that. She mentioned not wanting to stay up because she didn't want to talk all night." Duo said, rolling his eyes. Heero cracked a grin and said, "Burn."

"No kidding. And what bugs me more is Quatre even asked her if she wanted to switch rooms. He saw how I felt and she still declined. What if she. . .what if she secretly likes Quatre? What if they're over there. . ." He grit his teeth.

"Getting it on?"

"You're not helping, Heero."

"Sorry. Continue."

"sigh My stomach's all knotted up inside and I feel sick just thinking of him putting his hands on her. I mean, what if I go over there and find her wearing his shirt! I mean, you can't really deny what happened if she's wearing his shirt. . ." Duo said assumptionally. Heero leaned his arm over the back of his chair and slouched a little, saying, "Then go over there now, macho man, break it up."

"But I don't wanna make a fool of myself if they're not and then she'll hate me!"

"Then don't worry about it, you hardly know this girl anyway so it's not like you've been best friends since kindergarten."

"That doesn't help my stomach aches, though. . .I can't make those go away. . ."

"Tough luck. Are you done ranting now?" Duo frowned at Heero.

"You don't really care about what I'm saying do you? You just wanted me to get it all out so I'd shutup."

"Something like that. No offense but you do talk a lot for a guy." Heero said, turning back to his computer. Duo sighed and flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as he hugged the pillow thrown at him earlier.

__

Please don't be doing anything but sleeping. . .Duo thought as he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. . .blah blah. . .not making money off of this. . .yadda yadda. . .don't sue me.

Chapter 14

The next morning woke the Gundam pilots late as they sleepily walked out into the hallway and slowly gathered. Rachel rolled over in bed and looked over at the slumbering Quatre. With a smile she thought, _Better get dressed before he wakes so he can have his shirt back. _She got up and patted over to the bathroom with her bodysuit hanging over her arm. A few minutes later, she came back out and laid the shirt neatly over the covers. She snapped her belt back on and walked over to Quatre's side of the bed. She softly sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on his arm, slowly rubbing it to wake him. He stirred and opened his eyes, sleepily looking up at her. She smiled softly and said, "Good morning, Quatre."

"It's morning already?" Quatre said as he sat up. Rachel nodded and put her hand down on the bed to push off but felt Quatre's arms slowly wrap around her waist as he leaned against her back, sighing. She blinked and said, "Yes?"

"Thank you. . .for the song. . ." He rested his cheek against her shoulder blade and closed his eyes, giving her a gentle squeeze before loosening his grip and relaxing. She smiled and patted his arm, whispering, "You're welcome. How are you feeling today?"

"Fine, my chest doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's good." She gently unwrapped his arms and said, "I think you should get dressed before Duo bursts through that door and catches you with your arms around me." He chuckled and pulled away, crawling across the bed and picking up his shirt on his way to the floor. He slowly put his shirt on as he walked around to find his vest, looking down on the floor as he walked. Rachel leaned over and lifted the vest in the air on her finger, saying, "Lose something?" She waved it a little before handing it to Quatre. He smiled and said, "Thank you." He began to unzip his pants and Rachel's eyes widened. In mid-tuck, Quatre looked up to see her watching him. He blushed and quickly turned away, saying, "Sorry!" She giggled and stood up, walking over to him and resting her hands on his shoulders. He looked at her as she said, "I'll be outside, see ya out there. . ." As she walked away, he quickly grabbed her wrist and said, "Wait, Rachel, I. . ." He pulled her back and gave her a quick and soft kiss on the cheek, then said, "I just wanted to return the favor, so it didn't bug me for the rest of my life." She blushed and walked silently to the door. She opened it and stepped out, shutting it behind her and resting a hand on the door as she sighed. Looking up, she saw Trowa walking down the hallway looking fresh as a daisy. She leaned against the door and crossed her arms, saying, "Where's your roommate? Late sleeper?"

"He's exercising, he'll be out in a few minutes."

"Ooo, shirt off?"

"Nothing but his boxers." She cocked an eyebrow in amusement and said, "Maybe I should watch him. You know, learn a few techniques. . ."

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's not much to look at, he's. . .well, he's not me." Trowa said, rolling his eyes. She grinned and said, "I'm sure." He blinked and said, "You haven't. . .seen any pictures of me. . .you know. . ."

"Just shirtless. And might I add that you have a very nice body." She said with a wink, teasing him a bit.

"No you may not." Duo walked up just then. She giggled and said, "Good morning, Duo. Did you sleep well?"

"Not really, I couldn't stop thinking about you." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled and said, pushing him back a little, "I see you didn't take a cold shower this morning."

"Why would I?" Duo said, not understanding. Trowa rolled his eyes again and said, "She means cool it down, dork. . ."

"It's Duo, not dork. . ." Duo said, insulted by his comment.

"Now you know how I feel, Maxwell." Wufei said as he walked up to the group. Rachel laughed and said, "Come on, get off me, Duo. You'll have plenty of time to love me later. . ." Wufei cocked an eyebrow and Trowa whispered, "Don't ask."

"Wasn't going to." Wufei said, looking sickened by Duo's affectionate 'air' about him. Suddenly, Rachel bounced and said, "What the-oh, Quatre!" She jumped away from the door as it slowly opened and Quatre peeked out.

"Sorry, I thought the door was stuck." He stepped out and closed the door behind him, smiling cheerfully to everyone, "Good morning, everyone. I hope you slept well."

"Some of us not so much as others. . ." Heero said as he walked up to the group, laptop under his arm.

"So, did you get the information you wanted?" Rachel asked as she leaned her elbow on Duo's shoulder.

"Yes, after staying up all night, I did." Heero replied, briefly giving Duo the death glare before continuing. "I found the location of where they're keeping her but I don't know where in the complex they're holding her. I found the coordinates so we can get there in about 1 day's travel speed."

"What if we're too late to save her?" Quatre said, sounding concerned.

"Well, we'll have to stop off during the trip to get more fuel, which might be a problem if they have policemen and investigators out everywhere looking for strange groupings of cargo planes flying together."

"Then how can we do this?" Wufei asked. Heero looked at Rachel just then. Blinking, she stood up straight and said, "Why are you looking at me?"

"Come here." He said. She looked at Duo for a second and walked over to Heero. He took her arm and led her away from the group, stopping about halfway down the hallway. He looked up into her eyes and said, "You can do whatever you set your mind to, right?" She looked unsure of where this was going but she nodded.

"Just about everything. . ." She said quietly.

"Can you teleport things?" Heero asked, sounding serious.

"Well. . .I don't know, I've never tried. I suppose I could but I'd have to test it out before I tried anything. If you wanted me to teleport things I could just teleport Relena here to safety."

"I thought about that already but we have to go there and see if they really have mobile suits like our Gundams. I don't want the chance that someone might be building new Gundanium armored suits to pass us by unnoticed."

"I see. . ." She thought for a moment and said, "So you want me to. . ."

"Teleport the planes to where the compound is to save on time and fuel."

"Wow. . .I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to do that but I can give it a try. . .I don't wanna end up crash landing you into the Pacific or anything. . ."

"We can't waste time while Relena's life is at stake, and our own." She nodded and said, "Let me see if I can do this in the first place." Quietly, she turned to face the group, closing her eyes and thinking hard. Suddenly, she disappeared and reappeared in front of Duo, who let out a little yelp.

"WAH! How'd you. . ." Duo stumbled backward a few feet and took a breath. Wufei stared wide-eyed at her.

"She's not human. . ." Wufei said as he stared at her.

"Good, so you can. We'll leave now and head out to the planes, we should make it there by noon." Heero said as he walked up to them.

"Do you mind if I find something else to wear? This is kinda. . .hard to sleep in. . ." Rachel said, trying not to let on that she hadn't worn it the night before.

"I suppose, it'll give the rest of us time to get something to eat before we go." Heero said.

"Great! I'll meet you guys at the front gate, okay?" Rachel said and ran off down the hall.

"Let's go, I'm starved!" Duo said, his stomach growling.

"Where's Rachel? She said she'd meet us here. . ." Wufei said, looking annoyed.

"She'll be here, chill out, Wu-" Duo stopped as Trowa elbowed him.

"Ixnay on the Wufei?" Trowa whispered. Duo and finished.

"Fei? Heh?" He hid behind Trowa, who sighed as Wufei grumbled about wanting to debraid Duo.

"Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting!" Rachel came running up in a new outfit, her old one most likely tucked away in the bag she was carrying. Duo blinked and popped out from behind Trowa, saying, "Wow! Cute outfit!" She smiled and looked down at her Khaki cargo Capris and white tank top with 'Angel' written across the front. She toed the ground shyly with her white sneakers and grinned at Duo.

"Do I look like a normal girl now?" She said. Duo nodded and ran over to her, saying, "I shall carry you across the threshold out into the wilderness with me!"

"You'll kill yourself if you do, I weigh 130. . ." Rachel said.

"You don't look like it." Duo grinned just before lifting her into the air and running off with her, kicking and screaming the whole way.

"Duo Maxwell, put me down!" Rachel yelled, hitting his shoulder. He just laughed as the others shook their heads and groaned in shame to have known him, following reluctantly behind.

"Alright, as soon as we're airborne, you try to teleport us to the airspace around the complex." Heero said as he started up the engines, doing a quick systems check before starting it rolling. They took off and smoothly ascended into the air, gathering in a V shaped pattern. Heero glanced over at her, as if signaling to start. She looked nervously at him and said, "I. . .I don't think I can."

"But you did earlier." Heero said.

"I know but. . .I knew where I was teleporting to." Heero frowned in confusion and Quatre said, "She doesn't know what this place looks like so she can't envision it."

"Yeah, what he said." Rachel said timidly. Heero sighed and set the plane to auto pilot, unbuckling and bringing his laptop over to her. He rested the computer on her armrest and opened it, typing away at the keys as he searched for something. Finally, he turned the laptop to face her and said, "There, that's what it looks like." She blinked and stared at it for a minute before saying, "Okay, I think I got it now." Heero closed the laptop and returned to his seat, buckling in again and taking over the controls. Rachel closed her eyes and focused on the image in her mind, imagining the planes being there looking down upon it. A split second later, her visions became reality and they were within sight of the complex.

"Good, now we'll land over there in that clearing. I'll go in with Trowa to scout out the building while you all stay in contact and ready in case we need backup." Heero said over the comlink as soon as they arrived. The planes tilted and headed toward a clearing about a mile from the base. Heero landed the plane and shut down the systems, saying, "I might want to bring you with me in case we run into any-" He looked over at Rachel to find her out cold.

"I guess she's still working on the passing out part." Quatre said with a shrug, getting up from his seat.

"Stay here and watch her. If she wakes up soon before we infiltrate, send her out to follow me, I might need her help on the inside." Heero said before leaving the cockpit to find Trowa. He joined the group gathered outside and said, "Alright, Trowa, you're with me."

"And why are we staying behind?" Duo asked defiantly.

"You all have Gundams that excel in close combat, Trowa does not so it seems wiser to bring him with me so you can be backup for us."

"Oh. . .I guess that's reasonable." Heero half rolled his eyes as he walked away, heading for the complex with Trowa in tow. Duo looked back at the plane and wondered what Rachel was up to. Deciding to snoop, he walked up to the ramp as Wufei stood behind him and crossed his arms, saying, "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." Duo said over his shoulder as he disappeared inside the cargo hold. He saw the cockpit door hanging open and snuck over to it, listening from behind the wall to see if anyone was talking.

__

It's Quatre. . .is he talking to Rachel? Duo wondered as he listened in.

"I hope you're okay. . .that must have taken a lot of energy out of you. I wasn't sure if you wanted to do it when you looked so nervous but once you knew what it looked like it was easy. I didn't expect it to be so smooth either, I've never done that before. . ." Quatre said in a quiet voice. Duo's eyes grew large as his mind got the wrong idea.

"Maybe we'll do it again and it won't be so hard next time. . ." Duo had heard enough as far as he was concerned as he burst through the doorway, yelling, "Why you son of a-"

"Duo! What's wrong!" Quatre was shocked by the abrupt entrance and stood up. Duo jumped on him and tackled him to the ground, trying to beat him up.

"How could you! Behind my back, too! You jerk!" Duo screamed as he pounded Quatre, who had his arms over his face to block the shots.

"Duo, stop! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yeah right, I heard you! I heard all of it!"

"All of what! Duo, STOP!" Quatre kicked him and shoved him away just as Wufei came running in after hearing the commotion. Duo lunged for Quatre's throat but Chang grabbed him and held him back.

"GACK, let me go!" Duo choked out as Chang put him in a headlock.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Maxwell! Why are you attacking Quatre?" Wufei asked, his iron grip not showing signs of letting go any time soon. Quatre took a breath, his eyes wide in shock as he said, "Duo, what is wrong with you! You're acting like I did something unforgivable!"

"You did, you-"

"Duo?" He looked over at Rachel as she groggily sat up, looking around in confusion.

"Rachel, how could you. . ." Duo said as tears welled up in his eyes. She looked over at him and in a confused voice, said, "How could I what?"

"I thought you loved me." Duo muttered, struggling to get free of Chang's grip. He threatened to brutally injure Chang if he didn't release him so he finally let go. Duo jumped up and ran for the door as Rachel shouted after him, "Duo, wait!" He disappeared and Rachel turned to Quatre, saying, "What's gotten into him!"

"I have no idea! He said something about hearing us or something and tried to kill me!"

"Hearing us? Do you suppose he was up last night?" Rachel asked, getting worried.

"I don't know but what was there to hear? I mean, I mentioned wanting to. . ." He looked up at Chang who's eyebrow was cocked in wonder.

"It's not what you think, Chang, nothing like that happened last night." Rachel said.

"Depends on what you mean by 'that'. . ."Chang said, walking away. Rachel sighed and thought aloud, "I don't understand, how could that have made him mad?" Suddenly, Quatre spoke up.

"Wait, I was talking to you before he came in, maybe he got the wrong idea from that."

"You were talking to me?" Quatre blushed and said, "Yes. . .I was saying how tired you were and I didn't think you would be able to do it but you did great. . ."

"Oh yeah, like Duo couldn't get that mixed up with something perverted. . ." Rachel said sarcastically. She jumped out of her seat and ran out of the plane to find Duo.

"Let's split up, we'll have better luck finding her that way." Heero said to Trowa. Trowa nodded and they crawled in separate directions through the ventilation system, climbing through many bends and turns while pausing now and then to check out the room they were crossing. Trowa paused halfway through his journey and peeked through a slatted opening. Inside it was dark but he could see the vague profile of a lump in the corner of the room.

"Psst." Trowa hissed to the figure and it stirred. He called again and it stood, saying in a low whisper, "Who. . .who's there?"

"Are you Relena Darlian?" Trowa called down.

"Yes, yes I am!" the figure moved around in excitement.

"Sshhh." Trowa hissed. She hushed herself and Trowa continued. "Is there a guard outside your room?"

"Yes." She hissed back quietly.

"Sit tight, I'll find Heero and we'll get you out of there."

"Heero?" He could almost hear her heart pounding as he responded, "Stay quiet and pretend like we're not here." She nodded and he crawled off to find Heero.

__

Heero's here. . .Relena thought to herself as she curled back up on the floor and awaited her rescue.

__

Mobile suits. . .nothing more. Heero thought as he called the kidnappers' bluff. He looked down into a hangar bay full of modified Leos and Aries mobile suits, looking similar to their Gundams. Heero heard Trowa's approaching echoes and turned to see him coming slowly up to his side.

"Found her." Trowa whispered. Heero nodded and motioned for him to show him the way. They started crawling back down the air duct.

__

She's here. . .at least she's not a bluff. At least she's alive. . .Heero thought as he followed slowly behind Trowa.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Gundam Wing. . .there, that's it. . .

Chapter 15

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Oh, where did he go. . .Rachel grumbled as she stalked through the forest searching for Duo. She had been walking for a while and hadn't found any trace of him.

"This is hopeless. . ." Rachel saw a large rock up ahead and climbed onto it, plopping down and letting out a stressful sigh. She leaned back and stared up at scattered sunrays filtering through the trees overhead, listening to birds chirping around her somewhere in the leafy branches.

__

This is actually rather peaceful, I wonder how long we can stay here. Rachel mused as two squirrels chased each other around a tree trunk, playfully jumping from branch to branch as they danced through the forest. She smiled as she watched them scurry by.

__

Looks like Duo when he was chasing me through that field. . .oh! I almost forgot that I was looking for him! She looked around and suddenly noticed that she had no idea where she was.

"Uh oh. . .okay, stay calm. I'll just teleport to the planes and everything will be fine." She closed her eyes and focused on the cargo planes. Suddenly, she teleported. They were cargo planes, but not the ones she was aiming for. Blinking with wide eyes she said, "Oh crud. . .where am I now!" She looked around and saw strangely shaped mobile suits towering over her, looking slightly like the Gundams.

__

Huh? What's up with the copies? gasp! It can't be. . . She stared up at one that looked almost exactly like Wing.

"This isn't good. . .I gotta find some place to hide!" Rachel said.

"Indeed." She whipped her head around and gasped as everything went black.

Heero carefully jumped down from the vent and signaled to Trowa. Trowa nodded and closed the vent behind him as he followed Heero. They ran down the hallway and peeked around the corner to find the cell Relena was in heavily guarded by six guards: three by the door, two further up the hallway, and one patrolling the hall leisurely. Heero pulled out his gun and Trowa did the same, pulling out his own gun. They jumped into the entryway and shot down three of the guards, ducking back around the corner as the three by the door took offense and returned fire. Trowa sneaked a peek around the corner quickly and pulled his head back, saying, "One of them is doing something to the door." Heero furrowed his brow and said, "Shoot him." Trowa dashed across the opening, taking aim and quickly taking a few shots and taking down two of the guards and winging the third. Slowly, the last guard reached up and pressed a button on the door before Heero shot him again. They ran down the hall to the door and Heero plastered up against it, staring through a glass viewing window in it to see wind gusting around in the room.

"I can't get the door unlocked, it has some sort of code on it." Trowa said as he tried to break the lock.

"They're venting the room, she'll suffocate." Heero said as Relena looked desperately around, holding her skirt down in the breeze. He looked down at the lock, pushing Trowa aside and pressing random buttons, hitting it after a while trying to make it work that way. He cursed and said, "Did you see any of the buttons he pushed?"

"No, he was standing in the way." Trowa stared at Heero. He looked scared as he fumbled with the edges of the keypad trying to pry it off so he could short-circuit it. He looked around searching the guards for something to help him.

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Heero. . .Trowa was stunned by his desperation. Suddenly, he looked up and saw Relena staring out at him through the window, knocking slowly, looking out of breath. Heero shot up and stared at her, putting his hand on the window over hers and looking wide eyed into the fear on her face.

"I can't let her die. . .I won't. . ." Heero muttered, staring blankly at her shock. She mouthed his name and he put his other hand on the window. He suddenly became angry and kicked the door, patting his shorts and shirt as he said, "Do you have any explosives? Anything that can blow the door?"

"That would be Duo's specialty." Trowa said quietly, feeling a bit helpless. But not as much, he figured, as Heero felt. He started punching more numbers into the keypad as he said, "Don't just stand there, search them for something, ANYTHING!" Trowa calmly complied and picked their pockets. A few seconds later, he came back, saying, "Nothing."

"Then find a shutoff switch. . ." Heero muttered, hunched over, leaning his hands and head against the door. Trowa ran off down the hall when alarms suddenly went off.

"Huh? That was a bit delayed. . ." Trowa looked around as red lights flashed on the walls. Heero turned and looked at him.

"That wasn't us." Blinking, Trowa said, "Who? You told the others to stay put. . ." Heero looked down and said, "I don't know." Trowa almost felt sympathetic for him as he turned and ran around the corner, heading out to find something to open the door.

"Wake up." Rachel woke abruptly to a slap in the face, looking up to see a face she loathed so.

"Colonel Une. . .how pleasant to see you." Rachel spat out, scowling at the stern looking woman in uniform.

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Why does she always look so constipated. . .and those dorky buns aren't very attractive. . .Rachel thought.

"Well, you seem to be familiar with my name but I don't know you. State your name and purpose for being here. Are you here to rescue that pathetic little foreign minister's daughter? If that's the case I'm sad to say it's a little too late for that, she's been, how should I put it, 'vented'." Colonel Une said with a tinge of pleasure in her voice.

"Let her go, I'm sure you can get whatever you want without her." Rachel said.

"In case you didn't understand the first time, she's dead. Now, are you going to talk on your own or should I get out some of my favorite torturing techniques. . ." She said, pulling her gloves tight as she grinned evilly.

"Technique this!" Rachel kicked Une in the knee cap and she screamed in agony, falling to the ground. With a ball of fire, Rachel burned quickly through the ropes binding her and jumped to her feet, running to the door.

"STOP!" Colonel Une screamed, pulling out her gun. She pulled the trigger and caught Rachel in the side as she ran out.

"Augh!" Rachel yelled in pain but didn't stop. Holding her side as it began to bleed, she ran as fast as she could down the hallway looking for Relena's cell. As she searched the halls, she saw Trowa running the opposite way.

"Rachel! So it was you!" Trowa stopped in front of her and saw the red stain growing on her white tank top, putting a hand on her shoulder as she wobbled. She put a hand out and pushed him away, saying, "I can't stop, I have to find. . .Relena."

"I just came from there, I'll take you!" Trowa said, offering her some help. She waved him off and said, "Just lead the way." They ran down the hall and back to Relena's cell, stopping when they saw Heero sitting on the floor looking blankly at the wall. Rachel swallowed and prayed she wasn't too late and she limped up the door, placing her hand on the keypad and closing her eyes. The door beeped and she turned the knob. The change of pressure created a slight vacuum effect and she braced herself against the wall as she pulled the door open. Heero snapped out of his trance and looked into the room, jumping to his feet the second he saw Relena's body laying limp on the floor. He fell to his knees next to her and rolled her over, putting his ear to her chest to check for a heartbeat. He started giving her CPR, pushing down rhythmically over her heart to bring her back. He paused to give her a few breaths of air before saying, "Breathe!" He hit her chest and pushed again before giving her more air. Trowa stepped into the room and watched Heero desperately giving her CPR over and over, getting more determined every time. Rachel slowly sunk to her knees by Relena's arm and placed a hand on hers, whispering, "Breathe, Relena, breathe. . ." Heero tilted up her chin and opened her mouth, placing his mouth over hers and breathing into her. Suddenly, her lips moved and he pulled back, looking down to see her staring up at him, slightly surprised. Heero let out a sigh and said, "You're alive, I thought you wouldn't make it. . ." She smiled at him and said, "I thought I was dead. I saw you calling to me from heaven and I almost came. . .but. . .I heard a voice call out in my ear like. . .a guardian angel. It told me to breathe. . ." Heero looked up at Rachel and saw her swaying slightly with a dazed look in her eyes. He next noted the blood pooling at her side. He looked up at Trowa and said, "We have to get out of here. Pick Rachel up and carry her, I'll get Relena." As Heero scooped Relena up into his arms, she limply rested her head on his shoulder, muttering, "So. . .dizzy. . ."

"I know, just take it easy and take slow, deep breaths, you'll feel better soon." Trowa lifted Rachel and her arm fell loosely over his arm as her head fell back. He shifted her head back to rest on his shoulder and Heero ran out of the room soon followed by Trowa.

"We can't defend ourselves if we get attacked, Heero, what do we do." Trowa called to him as the siren still blaring rung in his ears.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes." Heero said. As they turned a corner, they ran into a group of guards and quickly put on the breaks, dashing back around the corners. On either side of the hallway, Heero and Trowa rested their armfuls and pulled out their guns, quickly returning fire and shouting to each other.

"Trowa, head down that hall and I'll catch up to you!" Heero yelled, pulling the trigger of his gun and hearing a clicking noise.

"No way, you're out of bullets!" Trowa said. Rachel suddenly looked up slowly and stared across the hall at Relena who was being protectively held in Heero's arm. She stared back and looked a little scared.

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She can't die. . .she's their future. . .Rachel thought as she watched Relena scoot back into Heero as a bullet clipped the edge of the wall close to her face. Taking a deep breath, Rachel began to stand.

"Rachel, what are you doing!" Trowa said, trying to stop her. He howled and pulled back his hand, looking at his singed palm.

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What the. . .He looked back up to see Rachel's body swallowed by ghostly flames burning around her. She walked out into the middle of the opening as the bullet barrage ended, staring at the guards in the hallway.

"Halt, throw down your weapons and put your hands in the air!" One of the OZ troopers yelled to them. Slowly raising her hands, Rachel whispered, "As you wish." Suddenly like an explosion, fire shot out of her hands and quickly wrapped around the soldiers, causing them to writhe and scream in pain as their bodies set on fire. She continued to bombard them with her attack as she stared coldly at their torturous deaths growing near. Trowa couldn't stand to watch her do anymore harm to the defenseless guards. He jumped up and grabbed her around the middle, dragging her to the ground before rolling away and yelling in pain from setting himself on fire. Heero jumped up and ran to him, helping him put out the fire burning through his clothes and singeing his skin. Finally, the fire went out with one last puff of smoke and Trowa gasped in relief, shaking slowly as he touched his welting skin. Relena was looking on in terror through this but suddenly let out a little scream, watching Rachel sit up and get to her feet, walking slowly down the hallway. Her body was now almost part of the fire blazing around her, catching the hallway on fire in places that it touched. Smoke had begun to gather from the burnt clothing, setting off the fire alarms and sprinklers. Trowa painfully sat up and said in a controlled voice, "We have to stop her, she's out of control, she could kill us all. . ." Heero looked on and said, "Later, we should follow her."

"What! Are you crazy!" Relena said, gasping as she began to get light headed again. Trowa nodded Heero off and began to stand up as Heero ran over to Relena and caught her before she fell over.

"I think she's heading out of here, which is what we need to be doing as well." Heero said softly. He picked Relena up again and walked over to Trowa who was leaning painfully on the wall, one eye shut in agony.

"Are you going to make it on your own?" Heero asked.

"My wounds aren't that bad, I can make it." Trowa said, slowly inching his way away from the wall. They made their way down the hallway, Heero keeping the pace slow so Trowa could keep up, following the path of devastation Rachel had left in her wake. It led to the hangar bay where the Gundam/mobile suits were being kept. There they found Rachel setting fire to the entire hangar bay.

"Rachel, STOP!" Trowa yelled to her as he stumbled a bit and cradled his left arm that was hurt the most.

"We should just leave, I'm sure she'll make it back on her own." Heero said, walking toward the door leading out into the forest.

"No, she'll keep doing this until there's nothing left to burn, who knows when or where she'll stop." Trowa said, determined to do something to bring her wrath to an end. He looked around and finally spotted a fire extinguisher a few feet away. He ran over to it and ripped it off the wall, running over to Rachel and pulling the trigger. It hit her hard and she stumbled to the ground, trying to block the flow. Trowa stepped closer, continuing his attack on the flames slowly dying on her body until the last arch of life disappeared. He dropped the extinguisher and knelt next to her, painfully pulling off his sweater and wrapping Rachel up in it and then picking her up. He staggered a bit as he walked back to Heero who had paused to see if Trowa would be successful or not.

"Her clothes. . ." Relena noted.

"I know, let's just go." Trowa said, keeping his eyes straight ahead as they returned to their planes.

"She's not lost, is she! Oh I shouldn't have run off like that. . ." Duo said as he paced back and forth, ratting on himself as he did.

"Shut up and sit down, Maxwell, I'm sure she'll turn up." Wufei said, calmly sitting on the ground, his arms folded across his chest.

"She's been missing for over a half hour now!" Duo said, stopping to stare at Chang who frowned at Duo's fretting.

"She'll be back, she'll probably come out of those woods any minute now!" Quatre said, waving a hand toward the stand of trees a little ways away. Just then, Trowa and Heero walked out of the forest and came up to the group still carrying the girls. Heero finally put Relena down and Duo ran over to them, saying, "You're back! What the heck happened!" Quatre looked at the shirtless Trowa who's body was badly burnt and red with welts, holding Rachel's still body wrapped tightly in Trowa's green turtleneck. Duo stared wide eyed at her half naked body and said, "Uh. . ."

"Trowa, take inside." Relena said, pointing to the plane. He walked up the ramp tiredly with Relena following him. Duo tried to follow her into the cockpit but she put her hands up and said, "No, this needs a girl's attention, I'll tell you how she is later." She walked in and closed the door behind her, leaving Duo to stare at the door.

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But. . .Trowa's not a girl. . .Duo thought as he sighed, walking back to get the story behind what happened from Heero.

"Set her down over there, Trowa." Relena commanded softly. He knelt down to set her on the floor but fell off balance. Relena helped him put her down and he leaned back, gasping in pain and exhaustion. Relena pulled out the Medical kit under the control panel and got out some alcohol and bandages to clean and tend to Trowa's burns.

"Just relax, I'll help you get them wrapped up." Relena said, gently touching the alcohol pads to one of the burns on his arm. He winced in pain and grabbed her hand, scaring her.

"Take care of her, she has. . .has a bullet wound." Trowa stammered. Relena crawled across the floor on her knees and looked around at the skin she could see. She glanced back at Trowa and he said, "On her. . .right side. . ." She carefully pulled back the shirt to see a half healed wound. Blinking, she said, "It looks like she's had it for a while, it's healing over." Groggily, he muttered, "Just. . .cover it up. . ." She got to work tending to it and taped a patch over it. Suddenly, Rachel's body twitched and she sat up straight, the shirt falling down a bit. She saw her lack of cover and pulled the shirt back over herself and groaning from her side that disapproved of her sudden movements.

"What the heck, I'm naked!" Rachel said, looking at Relena and then noticing Trowa looking at her. She screeched and held the shirt tightly against her body. She relaxed and looked worried as she noticed the horrifying condition Trowa's body was in.

"Don't you remember what happened?" Relena asked her, looking a little startled.

"I. . .I remember looking at you from across the hall but then everything went blank. . .until now. . ." She replied, holding the shirt like it meant life and death to let go of it.

"You. . .you missed the part when you turned into a walking bond fire." Trowa muttered.

"What?"

"I thought I was hallucinating when it happened but Trowa's burns are proof that I wasn't. . ." Relena said, looking back at the wobbling boy. Rachel looked at him in shock and said quietly, "I. . .I hurt you?"

"You were burning the guards attacking us and going out of control. Trowa pulled you down to stop you from burning them anymore and since your body was covered with flames. . ." Relena looked down. Rachel stared into Trowa's angst filled eyes and whispered, "Why. . .and your shirt. . ." He painfully moaned and hunched over, leaning his hands on the floor in an attempt to hold himself up. Rachel quickly closed her eyes and a split second later, clothes reappeared on her body. She pulled off Trowa's turtleneck, hurrying over to Trowa and gently taking him in her arms and laying him back, placing his shirt underneath his back to cushion the floor for his badly singed skin. He cringed and tried not to scream in pain as he tried to relax. She slowly reached out her hands and said, "Stay still, I'll heal your skin for you. . ."

"But. . .you. . ." He couldn't complain as he clenched his teeth hard. With a bright glow of light, Rachel passed her hands over Trowa's body, from head to toe, stopping to reveal his healed body. She fell over again, looking slightly in pain as she said, "Please. . .tell Duo. . .I didn't do anything with. . .Quatre. . ." With a thump, she hit the floor unconscious. Trowa sat up, running a hand over his arm now fully healed, looking down at Rachel as he said, "Please, be alright. . ."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the song "Groovy kind of love" grooviness . and if you don't like RelenaXHeero romance then…well, that's none of my concern…

Chapter 16

"Trowa, is she. . .okay?" Duo asked, seeing that his skin was perfectly smooth again. Trowa ambled down the ramp, stumbling a bit as Heero walked up to him and gave him some support.

"I don't know. She woke up but then she healed me and passed out again. I think it might have hurt her, she looked like she was in pain." Trowa said, feeling a little lightheaded.

"You should lye down, you don't look like you're well." Heero said, slipping a hand onto Trowa's side for more support. He nodded slowly and Heero helped him over to his plane. Trowa put a hand on Heero's chest halfway there and looked over his shoulder at Duo, saying, "Duo, Rachel wanted me to tell you. . .nothing happened."

"With. . ." Duo glanced over at Quatre who was oblivious to the talk. Trowa nodded and moaned, rocking back and forth as his head spun.

"Come on before you pass out and I have to carry you." Heero said, helping Trowa along into the plane. With a sigh, Duo looked over at Quatre, feeling bad for what he had said and done.

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But. . .if he didn't. . .then what the heck was he talking about in there? Nevermind, I don't wanna know. . .Duo thought as he walked over to stand by Quatre.

"I hope she's alright. . ." Quatre said sadly, looking back at the plane.

"Yeah, me too." Duo said. He slipped his arm around Quatre's shoulder, surprising him a little. But he just smiled and touched Duo's hand to give some comfort. Relena came out of the plane next and walked up to the boys, saying, "I don't know what's going on here but would either of you like to explain it to me?"

"I will." Heero said as he walked back over. She looked a little shy as he walked her over to sit down for the long explanation. Duo grinned softly and whispered to Quatre, "Let's leave the lovebirds alone. . ." Quatre nodded and walked away, saying over his shoulder, "I'm gonna see how Trowa's doing."

"Okay, see ya." Duo waved and jumped up into the plane, heading straight for the cockpit to visit Rachel. He peeked in first to make sure she was wearing something since Trowa came out still shirtless. She was clothed.

"Rachel?" Duo whispered. He stepped into the room and closed the door slowly, letting it click shut behind him. He paused a minute at the door before walking over to her side, bending down and sitting. He gently brushed back some loose strands of gold hair in her face and tucked it behind her ear, slowly sliding the side of his finger across her cheek. It was soft to the touch, bringing a calm smile to Duo's lips as he pet her hair lovingly, lightly stroking her cheekbone with the back of his hand, pulling it back over her ear and petting her hair again. He did this again and said, "I love you. . .every time I think of you my heart pounds. When you look into my eyes it skips a beat, chills running down my back when you hold me in your arms and hug me. I melt every time you whisper sweet words softly in my ear, tickling me with your every breath. . ." He closed his eyes and let his hand drift across her shoulder and down arm, resting on her side. He leaned forward and caressed her cheek with his lips, kissing her lightly in different places. He stroked her hair again and whispered in her ear, "You make my soul sing every single moment I'm with you. . .by your side. I want to sing to you and show you how deeply and truly I long for you to be in my arms and never leave my side. . ." He sighed and thought to himself, _She's probably not even gonna remember me saying this. . .why am I talking to myself?_ He looked sadly at the floor and laid down, gently scooting up next to her and putting his arms around her. With a yawn, he closed his eyes and snuggled his face into her hair, enjoying its soft texture. As her soft breathing lulled him to sleep, he dreamt of them playing together in a field. . .and doing other things. . .

"So that's basically it, any questions?" Heero finished his explanation of the journey from beginning to end. Relena was staring wide-eyed and wondering, hanging on his every word. She blinked and said, "About what. . ." Heero frowned and said, "Weren't you listening to me?"

"Something about another dimension and Gundams and fields and battles and explosions. . .did you really start this whole rescue mission to save me?" Heero blushed and said, "Well. . .uh. . .they were compromising our secrecy by claiming to be the gundam pilots so I had to stop them."

"Oh." She looked down and tried to hold in a sigh. Heero felt a pang of guilt in his stomach and he stood up, saying, "We can take you back to your home or another safe drop off point so you can explain that they were just imposters. I'll tell the others we're leaving. . ." She looked around at how tired the group was and jumped to her feet, grabbing his hand gently. He looked back, slightly uncomfortable about her hands around his as she said, "Wait, Heero. . .they're all so tired, can't you take me back later?"

"But won't anybody be worried?"

"Well. . .yes, but they don't know I've been rescued yet. . .what's another hour?" She begged, looking into his eyes. He clenched his jaw and pulled away, saying in a cold and quick voice, "Fine, I'll be over there." He stalked away and Relena stared at him, a little confused by his rudeness. She sighed and said in innocence, "I guess he still wants to kill me. . ."

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You idiot, she probably thinks you want to kill her still. . .wait, I do want to kill her! No I don't. . .oh this is so confusing. . .Heero shook his head and pushed his bangs back with a sigh, looking up at the cloudy skies.

"Hmm, looks like it might rain. . ." He mumbled, stopping to test the breeze. A passing gust rustled his hair and he took a deep breath, smelling the scent of rain in the air.

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I give it 15 minutes before it downpours. . .Heero thought, walking on toward the plane with Quatre and Trowa in it. He stepped into the cockpit and crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe as he looked at the two boys sleeping in the seats.

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I guess she was right. . .maybe we can stay a few more minutes. But I won't stay to the point it compromises her safety. He thought as he turned around to walk back outside. He sat down on the ramp and leaned a hand on the metal, relaxing in the quickening breeze. He closed his eyes and let the wind dance through his bangs and play with the edges of his tank top, pulling and teasing it like a little child. He almost let a smile crease his lips as the breeze cooled him and sent a shiver down his spine.

"Enjoying the breeze?" Wufei said as he walked up. Heero peeked open an eye to watch Wufei as he took a seat next to him before closing his eye again.

"It's going to rain soon. . .10 minutes by my guess. . ." Heero commented in a calm and quiet voice. He looked wise sitting there on the ramp, admiring the strength and undying persistence of the wind that pushed at him playfully.

"So we're staying longer?" Wufei asked, sounding disappointed. Heero nodded and said, "I don't want to stay either but we can't take off, let alone fly in this weather."

"Hmm." He looked out at the field and saw small drops of water pittering on the ground, hitting the grass blades and making them dance around. Heero looked up and said quietly, "The wind changed. . .here it comes." Gradually the rain came down, starting as a light sprinkle and moving to an even shower. Heero looked out into the rain and saw Relena standing in the middle of the field looking up into the sky. Furrowing his brow, he stared at her and said, "What is she doing?"

"Looks like she's trying to get sick. . ." Chang commented, rolling his eyes at the girl. Just then, Chang stood up and stretched, saying, "I need to get over to my plane and do some repairs on my Gundam since we're going to be here a while." Heero grunted and watched Chang jog out into the rain while it was still rather light and make his way over to his plane. Left alone, Heero stared at Relena, watching her just staring at the sky.

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What's she looking at? Heero thought. The rain began to get heavier and Heero stood up with a sigh, walking out into the rain. He jogged up to Relena and said over the hum of the downpour, "What are you doing, you'll get a cold if you just stand out here in the rain!"

"Have you ever caught a raindrop on your tongue?" Heero blinked and stared at her.

"Huh?" She smiled and opened her mouth, letting the rain roll down her tongue and into her mouth. She closed her mouth and made a happy sound, looking over at him and saying, "You should try it, it tastes good. Like the sky is tickling your tongue from the heavens. . ." Heero blinked and glanced up, not seeing the point to it. Her smile faded a little and she turned, slowly roaming across the field taking big steps and turning, spinning her arms out to catch the rain. Heero continued to watch her, fascinated by her innocent play. She stopped and folded her hands behind her back, staring at Heero. She toed the ground as she said, "What do you see the rain as?"

"Wet and dismal." He quickly answered. She looked up with her eyes closed and said, "You know what I see it as? Really, it's not trying to make you sick, I think its trying to bring people together by making them think it's bad so they'll flee to shelter to hide together and huddle up to stay warm, that's why it's so cold. It can cause magical things to happen and you wouldn't think to thank the rain for your happiness. I don't know why people think of rain as something to hide from. If it weren't for rain there wouldn't be rainy days that you spend with friends or family, there wouldn't be movies with romantic scenes of couples meeting in a storm to confess their undying love for each other. Can't you see it? There's so much more to it. . ." Heero was mesmerized by her speech, half-forgetting about the rain as he listened to her.

"I don't see things like that. I see them as they are, not as they could be." Heero stated coldly. Relena looked blankly at him as the rain filled the silence, looking into his eyes as she tried to understand his thinking.

"Will this be how you kill me? On a dark rainy evening like this? Maybe now would be a perfect time, there's no one around to stop you."

"What?" Heero was caught off guard by her question.

"By your thinking I guess you see me just as what I am to you: A threat to your safety. Nothing more, because you don't see what I could be. . .but I don't know myself what I could be, all I can do is dream of being something else."

"That's not true, I do see you as you are." She blinked in surprise.

"And. . .what's that?"

"You're the daughter of a foreign minister, diplomatic in every way. Everything you say is like giving a speech to an eager crowd, you take an initiative like no other, filling in wherever leadership is needed."

"But do you see me as anything else? Is that all I am to you, a politician's daughter? I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else." She looked down at the ground and let the rain pull her hair down over her face to conceal her sadness. Heero just watched her.

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Why's she sad about that? Does she want me to see her as something else? What does she want from me? Heero thought, stepping forward. She saw his orange sneakers peek into view in front of her and she closed her eyes, saying, "Make it quick."

"I'm not going to kill you." Heero said. She looked up into his eyes, challenging the sharp fearless glare he gave her.

"You're not?"

"No." She felt a little chill shoot through her body and she shivered, reaching up to rub her arm. He was closer than she was comfortable with him being alone with her.

"Than. . .what is it?" She asked timidly.

"You want me to see you as more but I don't know you, so how can I?" Heero said to her.

"That's why people talk to each other, to get to know how people are and what they like. . ."

"Have a. . .conversation?"

"Yes, that's the traditional way. . ." He looked over at the plane and said, "I think you've been in the rain long enough, I don't want to take you back sick." She looked down shyly and said, "Okay." He walked back toward the ramp with her not far behind, following at a slower pace. He stepped up into the shelter of the plane's tail and looked back, waiting for Relena to catch up to him. She stopped at the edge of the ramp and stared up at him warily. He sat down and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees and looking into his lap. Slowly, Relena walked up the ramp and turned, cupping her hands behind her legs and smoothing out her skirt as she sat down a few feet from Heero with a sigh. They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the rain carry on outside and water the world with its drops of life. Relena looked tired as she slouched, not something she did very often. Heero looked over at her and said quietly, "Are you feeling ill?"

"No, I'm just tired. They wouldn't let me sleep in that place, they kept questioning me and. . ." She looked down sadly. He blinked and put his hands on the ramp slowly, pushing off as he scooted over closer to Relena. She looked up at him as he settled down again and resumed his position. He looked up, gazing out across the field as he listened to make sure it was still safe to be there.

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Ever the soldier. . .Relena thought as she smiled at his surveying. With a sigh, she took a chance and leaned over to the side, resting her head on his shoulder. He looked unsure at first, not too keen on being used as a pillow but couldn't find the words to protest.

"Do you still want to talk?" Heero asked. When Relena didn't answer, he looked closer to find her breathing slowly and steadily.

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She wasn't kidding. . .Heero thought as he let her continue to sleep on his shoulder, deep inside enjoying her soft breath on his skin.

Finally, the rain stopped and Quatre woke up in the cockpit. With a yawn, he looked over to see Trowa still sleeping. He smiled and got up, looking out the window.

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I guess it decided to rain while I was out. Quatre thought, walking over the cockpit door which was hanging open. He quietly stepped out and peeked around the corner of the Gundams to see Heero laying on the ramp with Relena's head resting on his stomach, his arm draped over her shoulder as she clutched his arm gently.

"Awe. . ." Quatre couldn't help but smile at them.

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They're so cute there. . .the soldier and the peacemaker. . .what a couple. . .Quatre thought, returning quietly to the cockpit to leave them alone. As he stepped in the doorway, he heard the comlink beeping and closed the door, walking over to the control panel and pressing the com button.

"This is Quatre." Quatre said cheerfully.

Is Heero around anywhere? It was Chang.

"Um, he's. . .indisposed at the moment. Anything I can help you with?"

Well, I kind of needed to speak with him but I suppose it can wait. Tell him to call me back whenever he's free. Chang out. The transmission ended and Quatre nodded, sitting back down in his seat. He started to run some checks on the system to pass the time.

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Oh my head. . .I think I overdid it a bit. Huh? What's. . .what's that warm feeling I have? Rachel slowly opened her eyes and reached up to feel an arm around her, running her hand up it to the rolled up sleeve a little past the elbow. She smiled and whispered, "Duo. . ." The body moved a little and the arms around her squeezed her gently, bringing a sigh of happiness out of Rachel.

"I wasn't sure if you'd ever wake up, it's been a while and you didn't look well. . ." Duo whispered, his face still buried in the nap of her neck. He inhaled deeply and tickled the hairs on her neck, causing her to giggle.

"So I assume you're not mad at me anymore?" Rachel asked. Duo sighed and said in a low voice, "No. Trowa told me you said you didn't do anything so I finally stopped being a jerk and believed him. I came in here to apologize but you were asleep. . .so I just fell asleep next to you."

"I noticed." She said jokingly. She sat up, letting Duo's arm slide limply down her side, falling to rest on her hip as she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. He softly and sleepily smiled up at her, rolling onto his back and resting his arm across his stomach while tucking the other behind his head to prop his head up.

"So, how are you feeling?" Duo asked in a sweet voice.

"My head hurts a little and I'm kind of achy all over. I guess I overdid it a little. . .I don't even remember losing control back there, I could have killed Trowa." She said, looking sad. Duo's smile disappeared and he reached over, stroking her arm softly with the back of his fingers, saying, "But he's okay now, don't worry about it. . ."

"But what if it happens again? I don't want to hurt anyone. . ." Rachel looked like she wanted to cry but sighed instead, holding in her tears in an attempt to stay strong. Duo sat up and hugged Rachel, resting his cheek on her shoulder as he said quietly, "It was an accident, you were just trying to protect them."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, you couldn't hurt us, we're your friends! You love and tolerate every last one of us!. . .right?" Rachel chuckled and said, "Yeah, I guess so. . .but I only tolerate Chang and Heero, I don't mind the rest of you guys." She put a hand on his arm as he sighed and said, "That's good. . .I don't know if they deserve your tolerance but okay. . ."

"Might as well if I have to be around them for any period of time."

"True." They quietly sat together, enjoying the warmth from each other's bodies as the rain had dropped the temperature a few degrees below what Rachel would have liked it. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Duo began to sing quietly.

__

"♪When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do is take a look at you, then I'm not so blue. When you're close to me, I can feel your heartbeat, I can hear you breathing in my ear. Wouldn't you agree? Baby you and me, got a groovy kind of love, we've got a groovy kind of love._♪_" Rachel giggled and whispered, "I didn't know you knew that song. . ." With a grin, Duo continued.

"♪Any time you want to, you can turn me on to anything you want to, any time at all. When I taste your lips, oh I start to shiver, can't control the quivering inside. . .♪" Duo snuggled close to Rachel and hugged her tightly.

"♪Wouldn't you agree? Baby you and me got a groovy kind of love, we've got a groovy kind of love. When I'm in your arms, nothing seems to matter, my whole world could shatter, I don't care. Wouldn't you agree? Baby you and me got a groovy kind of love, we've got a groovy kind of love. We've got a groovy kind of love.♪" Rachel smiled happily and said back, "Oh I do, I do. . ."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Wing…um…or anything else I perhaps mentioned that I most likely don't own…yeah.

Chapter 17

Slowly, Heero opened his eyes sleepily, looking up at the roof of the plane as he recalled where he was and remembered what was next to him. He sat up suddenly and found her still asleep in his lap, a slight smile on her face. He stared at her for a minute before softening his expression and thinking, _She's still here, with me. . .what's this weird feeling I get every time I look at her? Could. . .could I. . ._ He gently ran his fingers through her auburn hair, following it down her head and over her shoulders, then continued to drift over her smooth skin. He stopped abruptly at her hand and realized what he was doing. His eyes widened and he nervously looked around to make sure no one was watching him petting her. Gently, he shook her shoulder, saying, "Relena, wake up, it's stopped raining." She stirred and opened her eyes, seeing Heero's leg first and jumping up, looking frightened as she put a hand to her chest. With a sigh of relief, she said, "Goodness, you scared me for a minute there. . ." Heero was a little startled too and said as he composed his cool, "We should be going now that the weather's cleared up." She looked outside at the dew-covered world and saw that it was now dark because of the setting sun.

"What time is it?" Relena wondered, sounding slightly daydreamy. Heero stood and looked at the color of the sky, judging about what time he figured it was.

"Around 7:30 by my guess." Heero answered.

"That late? I didn't realize that we've been here that long!" Relena looked surprised.

"I'll see if everyone's awake and tell them to get ready to fly." Heero started walking back to the cockpit when Relena called, "Heero, wait!" He paused and glanced over his shoulder. She gulped nervously and mumbled, "Nevermind. . ." He blinked and continued.

__

What was that about. . .Heero thought as he opened the cockpit door. Quatre looked up from the control panel and smiled, saying, "Did you have a nice nap?" Heero stiffened and stared at Quatre.

__

Dang it, he saw me. . .Heero grit his teeth and said, "Yes and shut up." With a frown, Quatre said, "Huh?"

"I mean it, you tell and I'll hurt." Heero said, clenching his fists threateningly. Shrinking down a bit in his seat, Quatre said, "Okay, geez, sorry I asked. . ." Still looking cranky and annoyed by his hard-soldier-boy-don't-care-about-nobody reputation being blown on one nap with Relena, he stalked over to the pilots seat where Trowa was laying sideways in it and smacked him on the shoulder, startling him awake.

"Huh? What happened? What's that?" Trowa sat up suddenly, forgetting where he was and toppling out of the seat with a thud. Quatre cringed and Heero stared at the crumpled up boy on the floor.

"Move it, we're leaving." Heero said bluntly, poking Trowa's side with the toe of his shoe. The lump wobbled out of the way and Heero sat down with a grunt, checking the systems with a ticked scowl.

"Um, Heero?" Quatre cautiously asked in a timid voice, not wanting to die. He got a death glare.

__

WAH! My life just flashed before my eyes. . .I don't remember that. . .woah, good thing no one else can see my thoughts. . .Quatre thought, his eyes wide with fright.

"What!" Heero snapped at him.

"Uh. . .well. . .Chang wanted to talk to you." Quatre said quickly. Heero sighed in annoyance and punched the com link button.

"Wufei, what do you want?" Heero said.

I see you're happy as ever. . . Chang said sarcastically, I had a few questions to ask you, do you have a minute?

"Sure, why not. . ." Heero said, returning the sarcasm.

Alone? Chang asked. Heero glared at Quatre and Trowa.

"Wow, look at the time! I think I'll go check on the others. . ." Quatre said, jumping up and running for the door.

"I gotta pee." Trowa muttered as he stumbled out the door. Heero rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, I'm alone."

Good. Now, I want your honest opinion on this. . .

"That's all I give anyway."

Then this shouldn't take long. . .

"Hello, is anyone home?" Quatre walked into the cockpit and found Rachel and Duo on the floor together.

"No, it's just your imagination, go away." Duo said sarcastically.

"Oh ignore him." Rachel said, swatting Duo away. "What's up?"

"We're leaving now since the weather's cleared up, Heero kind of sent me over to tell you that."

"Kind of sent you over?"

"He kicked me out to talk on the comlink privately. . ." Quatre sighed. He frowned and said, "You know, he's been acting really cranky. . ."

"Cranky?" Duo cocked an eyebrow.

"Is he feeling sick or something?" Rachel asked.

"Uh, not exactly. . ." Quatre looked at the ceiling innocently and Duo said, "You know something don't you. . ."

"Maybe, but I can't tell."

"Wow, did he threaten you?"

"Maybe. . ."

"This must be good. . .SPILL!" Duo said in an excited voice, standing up.

"What! No, he'll kill me! And this is Heero we're talking about, he'll do it." Quatre said, backing up a step. Duo walked up to him and put his arm around his shoulders, saying, "Come on, Quatre, he can't kill you if he doesn't know that we know what you know. . .ya know?" Confused, Quatre responded, "No?"

"Look, just tell me and I'll zip my lip, mm MM!" Duo said, making a motion as if zipping his lips together.

"I don't know. . ." Quatre looked nervously at the floor.

"Duo, I don't think it's a good idea to pry into Heero's private life." Rachel said, standing up as well and leaning on the armrest of a seat, crossing her arms.

"Awe please, just a little? I gotta have SOMETHING good to tease him with late at night or when he's in a reeeaaaallly embarrassing situation." Duo said, grinning as he plotted what to do.

"No you don't. Quatre, you don't have to tell us anything so don't worry, 'no one' will pressure you. . ." Rachel said, glaring at Duo. He grinned back and said, "Well then, since I can't have some fun what do we do now?"

Quatre, get over here. Heero called over the comlink. Quatre jumped at the sudden command and ran out the door straight to the plane. Duo walked over to the console and pressed the button, saying, "He's coming as we speak. So Heero, you sound a little cranky, any reason for that?"

What? Heero sounded a bit defensive. Rachel shoved Duo out of the way and said, "Ignore him, he's being a dork. We're ready to go over here whenever you are. Say, since we have a new passenger, who's she riding with?"

I think we need to even out the passengers a bit. There are seven of us now so we'll split it three, two, and two. Quatre, go find Trowa and tell him to fly with Chang. They heard a panting voice grumble a reply in the background before Heero spoke again. "And Quatre will fly with you."

"Where's Relena going?" Duo butted in. Rachel put her hand over his face and rolled her eyes.

Where do you think, you dope. If I'm here and Quatre is with you and Trowa's with Chang. . .do the math.

"Why does she have to ride with you?" Duo asked, pulling Rachel's hand off of his face.

Because I say so, got a problem with that? Heero said, sounding cold.

"Geez, I think he just froze the link with his cold shoulder. . .brr. . ." Duo commented, rubbing his arms.

"That's fine, I'll get the engine running while we wait. Rachel out." Rachel said, ending the connection. She smacked Duo in the arm and he cringed, saying, "Owe, what was that for?"

"Don't tease Heero, I want you to live a little longer. . ." Rachel commented, a sarcastic tinge at the end.

"Haha. So, why does Heero want Relena with him? Why not Chang and Trowa or me and you? Doesn't he trust us?"

"It's not that. . ."

"You know, don't you?"

"Maybe. . ." Rachel innocently grinned and sat down in the pilot's seat, starting up the engines.

"Awe, come on, please? Please, please, please, please. . ." Duo pleaded in her ear, tickling her neck with his finger. She cringed up and giggled, shouting, "No! Ack, stop that, it tickles!"

"What, this?" He tickled around under her chin. She shrieked and he grinned slyly, saying, "Or maybe this?" He started digging at her sides and she exploded in laughter, violently kicking her legs and swatting Duo. He backed away cautiously and said, his arms up defensively, "Geez, girl, you're violent!" She composed herself and said, "Don't mess with me then or else you have to fight off my flying feet and arms." With a wink, she hollered back, "Quatre, get in here already!" The blonde boy leapt into the room, sweaty and out of breath, looking like he had just gotten back from a marathon.

"I'm here, I'm here. . ." Quatre said, slowly slumping down into a seat. Duo sat down as well and said, "So, where are we going?"

"Probably to drop Relena off back at her home, so basically we follow Heero." Rachel answered, closing the hangar door and turning the plane to get ready for take off.

"Okie dokie!" Duo said, sitting back to enjoy the ride for a change as they took off.

"The Darlian mansion should be coming in view up ahead in a few minutes." Heero commented as he quietly piloted. Relena was too fearful of Heero to start a discussion so the trip there was extremely quiet, bothering her a bit.

"Okay." She answered timidly. Heero looked over at her and said, "You're being really quiet, I would have expected you to be talking a lot more."

"You don't want to talk anyway so why talk to myself?" Relena said sadly, looking away. He blinked and thought, _I never said I didn't want to talk, I do want to talk. But. . .I don't know what to say to her. _Relena gasped suddenly and Heero looked out the window to see the mansion up ahead, in a pile of rubble.

"Mother. . ." Relena gasped, covering her mouth in shock, her eyes wide with fear.

"Relena. . .I'm. . .sorry. . ." Heero said, seeing the devastation in her eyes drowning in her tears. She slowly shook her head in disbelief and whispered, "Why. . ." Sadly, Heero said, "It's a war, lives are lost everyday because of people's selfish greed."

"But why her? What did she do to deserve this?" Relena exclaimed. Heero couldn't answer her, staring into her eyes. She sighed, looking away as she whispered, "She adopted me, that's why this happened. . ." Heero's eyes widened and he said, "You're adopted?"

"Yes, I am. My father, Mr. Darlian, is my stepfather. My real name is Relena Peacecraft." He stared in disbelief. She was a countess of the Peacecraft monarchy, heir to the throne.

__

Is she the only living descendant? Heero thought, realizing her true potential.

"Are you all that's left of the family?" Heero asked.

"I don't know, all my stepfather said to me was that I was adopted, revealing my true identity. . .just before he passed away. . ." Relena said, sadly looking away.

"And. . .you didn't know before?" She shook her head and covered her face, sobbing, "And now the last thing I ever cherished is gone. . ."

"Maybe she wasn't inside when the mansion was demolished. . .she could still be alive." Heero said, trying to cheer her up. She dropped her hands defeatedly and said, "Do you honestly believe the words coming from your mouth?" Heero didn't want to admit that to her. She sniffed and said in a low whisper, "Just drop me off here."

"What? But-"

"It's me they want, just let them have me. Besides, it'll get me out of the picture for good, doesn't that make you happy?" Heero hit the autopilot and stood up, walking over to Relena and grabbing her by the shoulders. She looked up in shock as he said, "No it doesn't. Look, Relena, you have more to you than even you could imagine. You have a future you need to see to the end, don't give up so easily! I won't let you give up that easily and I'm not going to leave you to die." She blinked in surprise as she said, "But. . .why? Why do you care?" He stared blankly at her.

__

Why do I care? What's that nagging feeling in the back of my mind trying to get my attention? Could I feel something for her? Could I. . .love her? He shook off the thought and let go of her shoulders, saying, "Don't give up until there's nothing left to fight for, as long as there's hope there's a reason to battle on into the night. I'll find out what happened here and see if there's someone safe to leave you with that's a trusted friend of your stepfather." Turning, he walked back to his seat and sat down, re-buckling and taking over the controls. He reached over to the comlink button and pressed it to contact both planes.

"There's nothing left here, we need to find a temporary encampment to hide out in while I do some searching for Relena to find out what happened here."

I know a forest that's perfect for hiding our Gundams in, it's about 500 miles north northwest if you mean that kind of hiding place. Chang said.

"Lead the way." Heero said. Chang's plane veered to the right and headed off toward his hidden forest with the others close behind.

"Wow, now that's a forest! Look at those trees, they're huge!" Duo exclaimed as they landed their planes one at a time in a narrow strip of open space evidently put there on purpose for planes to land. They unloaded the Gundams and stalked them off into the forest to hide out, able to stand because of how tall the trees were in the area.

"It's one of the last known Sequoia forests on the planet, if these trees could talk they could tell you tales over 300 years old." Chang mused as he jumped out of his gundam and joined the others. They followed him over to a stand of trees perfect for building a camp in for a while.

"Cool. . .so, what, we sleep around the trunks or something?" Duo asked.

"No, in the trees. . ." Chang said, turning to the group.

"In the trees? But. . .how do we get up to the top? They're over 100 feet tall!" Quatre exclaimed as he craned his neck to see to the top. Chang looked at Rachel, saying, "Since you're the resident mage, you can build us an encampment in the trees. Unless that's too much to ask you?" She blinked and frowned, saying, "No, it's fine, I can do that. Let's see here. . ." She looked up at the trees and closed her eyes, envisioning tree houses and a way up. Lifting her hands in the air, she closed her eyes and focused all her thoughts on creating a sanctuary for them. The leaves below their feet began to rustle as a strong wind blew in through the branches of the monstrous trees, causing the group to have to stand their ground if they wanted to remain upright. The gusts grew stronger and the ground floor erupted, leaves everywhere exploding into the air and soaring high up into the trees. Relena almost lost her balance and fell against Heero, clinging to his arm while attempting to keep her skirts down. Heero pulled her close to keep her safe from flying debris. As the leaves and other fallen objects flew around the trees, they began to take form and suddenly with a flash of light, a magnificent tree village formed near the treetops, ropes and ladders and manpowered elevators leading to the wooden huts. Rachel began to fall back and Duo jumped forward to catch her in his arms.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Quatre exclaimed, staring up in admiration. Relena looked up and said, "Is it safe?"

"I don't think she'd build something that's not if we're that high up." Trowa commented, walking over to one of the rope ladders and taking hold. "See you at the top, I'm going to check it out." He quickly climbed up and Duo picked Rachel up, carrying her over to the rope elevator, taking hold of the pulley cord.

"Anyone else wanna easy ride up?" Duo asked.

"I don't think I care to climb a ladder in a skirt, thank you for the offer." Relena said, stepping into the elevator. With a grin, Duo said, "Ground floor, going up! Next stop, first floor: bedding supplies, bedroom sets, and cranky oriental boys. . ." Relena giggled and Chang and Heero glared at him. By the time they reached the top, the others had already climbed up and were waiting for them, looking impatient.

"You pull like a girl, Maxwell." Chang commented as he walked down the rope bridge crossings between trees to find himself a suitable hut. He decided to room with Trowa, who had picked the last hut that looked out over the forest so he could keep watch. Heero picked the room across from them and closed the thatch door, getting to work immediately. Duo picked up Rachel and Relena said, "I'll room with her, you can stay with Quatre."

"Awe but. . .can't you room with Quatre?" Duo said, pouting. Relena scowled at him and said, "No, a gentlemen doesn't sleep with women he's not married to."

"Who said I was a gentleman?" Duo commented with a wink.

"Nevertheless, I will not sleep with a boy, I'd rather room with Rachel. Now, I pick the room by the elevator, right here." Relena said, opening the door to the hut. Duo sighed and complied, carrying Rachel inside and gently laying her on one of the beds. He stroked some lose hairs from her face and kissed her forehead, saying, "See you later." Relena smiled at his love for her and stepped aside, holding the door open for him to leave. He stopped in the doorway and said, "Tell her I said goodnight, please?" She nodded and he smiled, saying, "Sleep well. If you get scared or hear anything out of the ordinary, just come on down to my hut, I'll take care of it!" She giggled and said, "I'll be sure to do that, good night, Duo." She closed the door and prepared for bed, kicking off her shoes and flopping down onto her bed. As she combed through her hair with her fingers, she heard a moan and looked up to see Rachel sitting up. She smiled and said, "I didn't think you'd be up till the morning after this, how are you feeling?"

"A bit drained, I might just go to sleep anyway but I don't feel like sleeping in this. . ." Rachel commented, looking down at her outfit. She pulled off her sneakers and sat Indian style, putting out her hands and closing her eyes, making a pile of pajamas appear in her hands. Relena looked longingly at the comfy looking outfit and then down at her school uniform. Rachel looked over at Relena and said, "Would you like a pair as well?"

"Oh, I don't want to bother you. . ." She said humbly.

"It's no trouble! Something pink perhaps?" Rachel smiled and produced a pair of pink silky pajamas, tossing them across the hut to Relena. With a quiet squeal of delight, Relena caught them and quickly began to change. When they had both converted to their bedtime garments, they began to chat and giggle about "girl stuff".


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I claim that Rachel is a psychiatrist for Relena. I also don't own the game "Hide and Seek" so don't sue me if I find that fun to play! runs off to hop in her gundam and play, yelling "Here I come!"

Chapter 18

"So. . .Relena. . ." Rachel said after a while, walking across the hut to sit on the bed with Relena, plopping down in front of her, "I hear something's been 'happening' lately with you and Heero. Any truth to the rumors?" Relena blushed and said, "Heero and me? Oh I hardly think things have been happening. I mean, yes, I did fall asleep on him but I hardly count that as something."

"Are you kidding! With him that's a miracle in itself that he'd let you do that!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Do you think so?"

"Definitely. So. . .how was it?"

"How was what?" Relena asked, looking confused.

"Sleeping on him, was it like resting on a cloud or a big rock?"

"Oh, well. . .he was actually quite comfortable. . .and warm." Relena said, pulling her knees up and hugging them as a chill ran up her spine. Rachel grinned and bounced a little cheerfully.

"Do you like him?"

"Heero? No!. . .Well. . ." She blushed as she whispered, "Don't tell anyone but. . .I kind of do have a little crush on him."

"Who wouldn't, he's got good looks and a great body, the personality and such leaves a bit to be desired but hey, with time that could change. With the right person I'm sure he'll grow out of that shell of his, and I think you're just the girl for him!"

"Do you really think so?" Relena looked almost hopeful.

"Sure! He probably likes you back but you know those soldiers, can't show their emotions, makes them look soft." Rachel said in a mocking tone. Relena nodded sadly and said, "I think he's started to show feelings for me but stops himself and acts rude and mean. . .I get so confused when I talk to him, he makes no sense half the time."

"Yeah, he didn't really have training when it comes to talking to pretty girls, not an essential in war I'm afraid."

"So. . .he likes me but doesn't want to admit it?"

"Probably doesn't even want to admit it to himself, knowing Heero. Don't worry, all he needs is a little time to get to know you and I'm sure he'll say something. But don't hang around him all the time, that just gives him the idea that you're clingy and he'll never talk to you that way. Be nice, say hello and all that junk, start some idle chat when the moment's right but don't do anything to embarrass him or he'll go retreating back into his shell again and you'll have to start all over again."

"I see. You sure know a lot about Heero, do you have a crush on him too?" Rachel blinked and said, "Heck no, I'm with Duo. Heero. . .well, he gets on my nerves a lot. He's just not my type."

"Yeah, suicidal tendencies and a mind set on war tends to turn off a girl. . ." Relena giggled. Rachel laughed and sighed, saying, "Yeah but you gotta love him, he's a real softie at heart but it makes him feel weak to show it. He'll come around some day, you'll see."

"I hope so." Relena said with a sigh.

"Well, we should get some sleep, who knows what the morning will bring!" Rachel said, hopping over to her own bed and snuggling under the covers. Relena did the same and they said their goodnights.

"Hey Quatre, I'm sorry about what I said to you. . ." Duo said calmly from his bed. Quatre rolled over to face Duo and said in a sleepy voice, "Huh? What are you talking about, Duo?" Sitting up, Duo said, "About calling you an S.O.B., minus the B. I was convinced you had done something with Rachel cause you were talking to her about something but you never gave a clue about what it was."

"Oh. . .I was talking about her teleporting the planes! I guess I should state what I'm talking about next time, in case you're listening at the door again." Quatre said sarcastically.

"Yeah yeah, I know. But. . .you didn't do anything in there besides sleep, did you?" Quatre didn't want to tell him about his heart attack but also didn't want to lie to his friend.

"Well. . .I'm not sure if I want to tell you, you may kill me."

"Tell me and maybe I won't."

"Well, if you put it that way," Quatre said with an eye roll, "She wore my shirt." Duo blinked and said, "Before I think about that too much more, care to explain why?"

"She was uncomfortable in her bodysuit so I offered her my shirt to wear the night. It's really long, honest, so I couldn't see a thing if I wanted to, which I didn't!"

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Why are you being so nosy, it was just one night. . ."

"Because I want to know everything so my mind doesn't have anything to imagine about."

"Fine. Her foot got a cramp so. . .I massaged it for her. But that's all I did, okay? Nothing else happened, we went to sleep."

"If you say so, I'll believe you. Thanks for being honest with me, Quatre. Goodnight." Duo rolled over and went to sleep, leaving Quatre wide-awake with memories of that night. He couldn't sleep so he got up quietly, walking out onto the walkway outside their hut. He leaned against the railing and sighed, feeling a slight breeze blowing by, taking away his sighs into the dead of night. It was fairly dark outside except for the faint glow of the moon showing through here and there. He glanced down toward where Trowa and Chang were sleeping to see a figure standing on the railing, leaning against the hut. The silhouette was all he could make out and figured it was Trowa, by the style of hair.

__

Must be on watch duty. Quatre assumed, turning to step back inside. He took one final deep breath and let it out before stepping back inside.

__

Looks like everything peaceful tonight, Quatre's the only other person out here. Trowa thought, glancing over his shoulder when he heard movement behind his back. He turned back to the forest view and sighed, looking up at the nearly full moon shining down on them from the dark blanket over the sky. Stars everywhere shimmered and flickered overhead in all sizes, some barely visible. A light breeze rustled the branches over his head and leaves flittered to the ground far below. One ran down his bare back and tickled him, causing him to sigh and flex his shoulder blades lazily. He decided to take a break and sat down on the railing, hanging a leg over the side to dangle there in the wind tickling his feet. He leaned his back against the hut and closed his eyes, resting his arms across his chest. He reached a hand up and slid it across his smooth pectoral muscles, looking down as he thought, _I can almost feel the scars deep inside, and it feels like they're still there. Why do I keep having these chills all over like her hands are still on me. . ._

"I really need to get some sleep." Trowa said to himself, shivering as a chilly breeze swept by him and across his almost naked body. He turned his head to take one last survey of the area before jumping down. He pulled his boxers up a little and walked into the hut, crawling into bed and laying there till dawn. Morning came quickly and the group woke it seemed all at once, emerging from their huts and stretching. Trowa decided to put some pants on before he went outside this time and found a nice branch overhead to practice some acts on. He did some flips and other acrobatic moves, slowly sliding into a split and stretching out his arms in front of himself.

"Wow, that must hurt." Trowa looked down to see Rachel staring up at him, her head cocked to the side with an eyebrow raised. He rolled over and hung off the branch by his legs, looking at her upside down.

"Good morning, I suppose you slept well?" Trowa asked, starting to do stomach crunches from his hanging spot.

"Yes, it was very nice, how about you?" Rachel asked, watching him curl and uncurl over and over.

"I had night watch duty, couldn't sleep."

"All night?"

"Yeah, Chang was really tired so I took the whole night." She reached up and grabbed his shoulders as he uncurled, startling him a little.

"Would you mind stopping that, I'm getting dizzy and you're going to pass out from all the blood rushing to your head." Rachel said. Trowa smiled at her and pulled up again, grabbing the branch and flipping down, landing in front of her. She blinked and said, "Thank you. Now, I don't know why you seem to have so much energy if you stayed up all night but okay."

"I didn't stay up all night, I took a few naps while it was quiet." He admitted. She glanced at his sweaty muscles for a brief second before looking away, saying, "Well, that's nice. I'm gonna go get dressed and see how the others are." She turned to go but Trowa grabbed her wrist, pulling her back and resting her hand on his chest over his heart. She stared at him in shock, feeling his heart barely beating fast.

"See, I'm fine, takes a lot to get my heart pounding. I could do upside down sit ups for hours before I get dizzy." Trowa said in a low voice. She swallowed and said, "That's nice." He slipped an arm around her silky waist, pulling her tight against his body, saying, "You say 'that's nice' too much, say something else."

__

What the heck is wrong with Trowa! Why is he holding me against his body! Rachel's mind was screaming to get away but she couldn't move.

"Let go?" She said, looking uncomfortable.

"If that's what you really want." Trowa whispered, looking into her eyes.

"Yes, it is." He released her and she quickly stepped back, saying, "Don't do that again, you hear me? I'm with Duo, no one else, I'm not up for grabs!" She turned and ran away back to her hut. He watched her go and thought, _Her heart was pounding. . .I'll catch her later when she's not so spirited._

"So, what do you want to do today, Rach?" Duo asked his arm around her waist, standing next to her resting his head against her shoulder. She looked into his eyes as he tilted his head back to smile up at her.

"I don't know, not much to do in a forest in the middle of nowhere. We could play around in our Gundams."

"That's a waste of fuel, we might need them later." Duo stated.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I can fill them up if you get low on fuel! Come on, let's go play!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the elevator, jumping in and waiting for him to untie the rope from its post. Quatre ran up to them and said, "Wait, where are you going?"

"We're going to play in our Gundams, care to join us? We could play hide and seek in the forest." Rachel said with a wink.

"That sounds like fun! I'm in!" Relena walked out just then and said, "I'll watch from the balcony."

"Okay, see ya later!" Duo said, waving goodbye as he lowered them to the ground. They ran off to find their Gundams, laughing and racing the whole way there. Trowa glanced over the railing at the noise and blinked in wonder.

"Where are they going?" Trowa asked as Relena ran over to his side of the encampment.

"They're going to play hide and seek in their Gundams!" Relena said, stopping against the railing to wait for them to start playing. Trowa joined her and said, "Isn't that a waste of energy?" Relena shrugged and they stared out across the trees, waiting for the first signs of the game beginning. Chang stepped out and said, "What are you two looking at?"

"Duo, Quatre, and Rachel are playing Hide and seek in their Gundams, wanna watch?" Relena said cheerfully.

"Maybe a little bit, but that's a stupid thing to do." Chang said, jumping up onto the railing to sit down to watch. Trowa glanced over at Chang and grinned, knowing he was secretly interested in the game.

"Look, they're starting!" Relena shouted, pointing out into the forest as Deathscythe flew out of the trees and went off to hide. Sandrock rushed by in a different direction and they guessed at whom was counting.

"6. . .7. . .8. . .9. . .10! Ready or not, here I come!" Rachel shouted, the comlink open so they could communicate while playing.

Remember not to use your radar, that's cheating. Duo commented as Rachel stalked off through the trees.

"I know, I'm not that bad. . ." Rachel replied. Verein walked around the trees, but found herself in a dead end of trees. Looking up to make sure she was clear for take off, she rocketed up and hovered in the air, looking around a little.

Hey, that's considered cheating too! Quatre shouted. She guessed he was close enough to see her so she landed and said, "I was stuck in a dead end, I had to do a little hop to get around it. You do know you just gave away that you're near by, Quatre. . ."

Uh. . .ACK! He shot out of the trees and rocketed toward the encampment. Rachel cut him off and tagged him out with her hand.

"HA, gotcha! I knew you'd panic!" Rachel teased. Quatre grumbled and landed under the treetops, stepping out to watch to see if Duo would make it.

"Hey, nice try, Quatre!" Relena shouted to him. He was pouting with his arms crossed as he said, "She cheated, not fair. . ."

"What's the rules of the game?" Trowa asked.

"You're not allowed to use radar so it's like regular hide and seek and this is base. She guessed my location when she popped up out of the forest." Quatre shouted back.

"I think it was your fault, she probably couldn't have found you otherwise." Chang commented. Quatre frowned and plopped down, sitting on the door in a bad mood.

"It's not my fault. . ." Quatre huffed. Heero stepped outside after hearing the commotion, wondering what was going on.

"Hey Heero, come watch with us!" Relena called to him. He walked over and said, "What are they doing?"

"They're playing hide and seek in their Gundams, it looks like fun!" Relena replied.

"Quatre made a break for base but got caught." Trowa commented. Heero grunted, finding that amusing as he decided to stay for a few minutes.

"I know you're out there somewhere, Duo, I can feel it." Rachel said, Verein slowly moving through the trees.

The only thing you're feeling is the branches smacking you in the face. Duo replied cockily. Kneeling, Deathscythe felt her footsteps drawing closer to his hiding spot. He waited till she was a little ways away before trying to sneak behind her back. But she heard his footsteps too and he made a break for it. As he sped over the treetops, hurrying for his life, Verein came up on his tail and almost caught him. He quickly rocketed up and stopped, watching her whiz past him. He flew off in a different direction as she turned quickly and went after him.

"Go, Duo! Run!" Relena cheered.

"The baka won't make it, her Gundam's faster than his." Chang commented.

"But is she as good at steering as him? That's what will decide the game." Trowa said.

"We'll see." Heero said. Relena glanced at him.

__

He looks like he's enjoying this, amazing. Better keep it cool, don't wanna scare him off. Relena thought to herself, remembering what Rachel had told her.

"Go, Rachel." Quatre said, watching them speed around through the air, darting back and forth and diving out of reach of each other.

"Duo, give it up, you won't win!" Rachel exclaimed, chasing him away from base.

NEVER! Duo yelled, diving out of the way of her hand. She kicked at him and almost caught him.

"Darn it, get back here!" She said, rocketing off after him. He started toward the base, gaining a lead and saying, I'm gonna make it! Suddenly, his gundam started beeping, a warning light popping on the fuel level. It was empty. As he slowly lost altitude, he shouted to Quatre, "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Quatre's eyes grew wide and he screamed, scrambling into his cockpit and closing the door just in time to be body slammed by the incoming Deathscythe. They went flying back and tumbled over each other, crashing into a nearby tree.

"DUO!" Rachel yelled as she watched the collision.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, please don't sue me or flame me if you don't like the content of this chapter.

Chapter 19

She slowly rocketed over and landed, jumping out and running to the pile of Gundanium a few feet away. She climbed up onto Deathscythe's leg, stumbling along to get to the cockpit door, calling out the whole way, "Duo, Quatre, you guys alright in there!" She jumped down and crawled across Sandrock's chest plate, getting to Quatre's cockpit door first. She pushed the release button and the door creaked but jammed halfway open. She tugged at the hatch, trying to get it open a little more. She heard a moan inside and wiggled in, finding Quatre lying sideways in his seat, blood running down his head and his arm tangled in the unbuckled safety harness. She gasped and reached down to him, touching his shoulder.

Quatre, hey man, you alright over there! Hello! Duo's voice rung in Rachel's ear and she said, "Duo, he's hurt bad and I can't get him out, the hatch is jammed. Are you okay over there?"

I'm fine, what happened! Duo said, sounding concerned.

"I don't think he got in his harness before you crashed into him, can you get out?"

No, my door is against his armor and I'm out of fuel, I can't move.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Rachel said, looking down at Quatre, saying, "Quatre, can you hear me?" He looked up painfully and said, "I guess. . .I'm it, huh?"

"Yeah. Hold on, I'll get in my gundam and pull Duo off of you so I can get you out, okay? Will you be alright?"

"I. . .I think so." She smiled and said, "Good, hold on a second, I'll be right back." She wiggled out and jumped down, running quickly to her Gundam and jumping in. She walked over and grabbed Deathscythe's arm, pulling him carefully over and letting it tumble to the side face up. She stopped and jumped out again, just in time to see the others making their way down to help out. She jumped onto Sandrock and crawled back into the hatchway, saying, "Okay, help is on the way, just stay still and relax." He tried to smile but cringed, closing his eyes and twitching. She heard footsteps and crawled out, looking up at Heero and Trowa.

"What happened, is he alright?" Trowa asked, looking worried.

"the hatch is jammed, I can't get it open and Quatre's badly hurt." They stepped up and started pulling at the hatch door, forcing it open. As soon as it was open enough, she crawled in and her and Relena pulled Quatre out, laying him on the chest plate.

"Oh my goodness. . ."Relena gasped at the gash on Quatre's head.

"It doesn't hurt too bad, r-really." Quatre muttered, trying to reassure Relena.

"Guys, go get Duo out of his gundam, it doesn't have any fuel so he can't open his hatch from the inside." Rachel said over her shoulder. They nodded and ran off to help Duo out, Chang following close behind to assist them. Rachel looked back down at Quatre and gently brushed aside his bangs, saying in a soothing voice, "Just relax, you'll be all better in a minute." She closed her eyes and healed the gash in his head, pulling back to heal his broken arm. He cringed when she touched it and healed it, staring up at her as she wobbled a bit and fell forward. He reached up and stopped her, saying, "Rachel! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little. . .tired. . ." He sat up, still holding onto her and he let her lean against his shoulder, his arms around her. Duo came scrambling over to them, saying, "Quatre, I'm so sorry! I was too close and I ran out of fuel and-"

"It's okay, Duo, I'm fine." Quatre said calmly, looking up at him. Duo slowed down and knelt by them, saying, "I guess she healed you, huh?"

"Yeah." They looked up together and met gazes, smiling in apology to each other.

"Let's head back up to camp, I think we've had enough fun for today." Duo said, looking up at the three boys who walked up behind them. Quatre helped the drowsy Rachel to her feet and Duo helped him get her to the ground. Together, they walked her over to the elevator, climbing in and heading to the top. The others joined them shortly and they all hung out for a while. Later on in the day, the sky got dark and rain began to pour down, soaking the forest but not the group. Rachel woke to find Duo smiling down at her from her bedside. He slowly stroked her hair and said, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. I'm still a little tired, though." She sat up and leaned against Duo's shoulder, saying, "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Eh, I didn't have anything else to do. Besides, who wouldn't want to watch an angel sleep?" Duo commented with a grin. She hugged his arm and said, "Yeah right, angel. . ."

"My angel." Duo said, hugging her back. She heard the patter of rain and said, "Is it raining?"

"Yeah, it started about 15 minutes ago, it's really coming down out there." She pulled back and stood up, walking over to the door and leaning against the frame, looking out at the fogged up world. Duo stepped up behind her, putting his arms around her waist and leaning his head on her shoulder. She looked over at him and said, "Are you getting taller? I don't remember you being this tall."

"I dunno, haven't really noticed." His head now came up to about her eyebrows, almost able to lean his chin on her shoulder. She turned and said, "I think you are taller. That's strange, I didn't think you'd grow anymore. . ." He frowned and said, "I don't wanna be a midget for the rest of my life!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you won't." She smiled and hugged him, nuzzling his nose with hers. He chuckled and kissed her, pulling her close and resting his head against hers.

"This is fun, I wish we could stay here forever." Duo whispered.

"Me too." Leaning back, she looked up at the trees.

"What?"

"I wanna go for a walk, care to join me?"

"Up there? No way, you can have fun killing yourself." He said, walking away. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back, pleading, "Awe, come ooooonnnn. . .please?"

"I don't like climbing trees, you can have fun, I'll wait for you down here."

"Oh fine, be that way. See ya later!" She climbed up onto the hut and jumped up, grabbing a branch and pulling herself up into the tree. Duo watched her disappear into the leaves and thought to himself, _Maybe I should have gone with her, she might get hurt._ He sighed and walked off to his hut. Rachel popped up above the trees and looked around, seeing the rain coming down everywhere. Her head got soaked and she pulled it back in.

__

How beautiful, I never thought I'd see something like this. Rachel thought as she climbed to an opening in the canopy and let the rain drench her.

"You know, it's not good to get wet like that, you might catch a cold." Rachel spun around and almost lost her balance. Quickly, Trowa grabbed her and held her tightly, staring deep into her eyes as she froze in surprise.

"Trowa!" Rachel gasped in fear. He pulled her closer and said, "Why are you all alone up here? Don't you know it's not safe to be out without someone to protect you?"

"Let me go or I'll scream." Rachel threatened.

"Scream all you want, they won't hear you over the rain and lightning." Trowa pressed his body against hers and tightly wrapped his arms around her to keep her from running away, leaning his face close to hers. Her heart pounding, she tried to lean back away from him but he was too strong. He reached up a hand and ran it up through her hair, pulling her head closer to his as he kissed her. She melted in his embrace, thinking, _This isn't happening. . .this has to be a dream. I'll wake up any time now and see Duo smiling at me and Trowa won't be anywhere in sight. _As Trowa parted her lips with his tongue, her eyes grew large.

__

This is NOT a dream! I have to get away from him, but he's too strong! I. . .I can't fight him. . .if I try to use my powers to stop him I won't have enough energy to climb back down. Oh God, please help me. . .Rachel closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks, her heart pounding harder. He ran his hand up her back under her shirt, slowly caressing her damp skin with his fingers. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She bit down on his tongue and he pulled away, screaming. She took the brief moment of freedom and slapped him hard, screaming at him, "JERK!" She kicked him in the knee and jumped down, swinging quickly through the branches to get back to camp. Trowa touched his tongue his fingers, pulling back and looking at the blood that slowly washed away with the rain. He spit out the blood pooling in his mouth and painfully moaned, rubbing his knee as he cursed under his breath.

__

How could he! That idiot! Rachel's mind was screaming as she dropped out of the tree onto the hut. She reached up to her lips and wiped away the blood left by Trowa when he pulled away, spitting and shaking her head, screaming briefly before jumping down. She started running down the walkway, calling out Duo's name as she did, tears flying from her eyes. Duo stepped out of his hut and stared at her, starting toward her as she ran up to him. She flew into his arms and held on tightly, sobbing violently into his shoulder. He held her protectively as he said, "Rachel, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" The others heard the commotion and slowly emerged from their huts, watching the two teens talking.

"He surprised me, I couldn't get away!" Rachel cried, clenching Duo's clothes in her hands as she pressed her face in deeper.

"Who did!"

"TROWA!" She sobbed and lost control. She got louder and Duo stared blankly at the wood walkway, shocked out of his mind. Heat prickled at the back of his neck as his heart pounded, rage boiling up inside him as he imagined what happened.

"What did he do to you? Tell me, Rachel!" Duo said, pulling her back to look into her eyes. She shook her head and said, "NO!" She pulled at his sleeves, begging for him to just hold her. Finally, he pulled her back and held her tightly, feeling her shaking from the cold and sobs she let out. Chang stepped up next to Heero who was also watching as he said quietly, "This is wrong, no female should be treated this way without her permission. Guys who make women cry are dishonorable scum." Heero crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe as he stared at the heartbroken girl.

"But what did he do to her?" Heero muttered, puzzled by her reaction. Relena stepped up next to Heero from inside the hut and grabbed his arm softly, startling him. She looked scared as she said, "Heero, what's going on? Why's she crying?" He relaxed and said, "Trowa did something, that's all I know." She scrunched up next to him and said, "Why. . .she's so nice." Tears came to her eyes, feeling the pain that Rachel was feeling. Heero unfolded his arms and pulled Relena against him, his arm around her back as she rested her head against his shoulder and sniffed. Chang looked up and said, "I wonder where he is."

"Who cares, the longer he stays away the longer he has to think about what he's done before justice comes to him." Heero said, looking slightly angered. They watched as Duo comforted Rachel, anger radiating from his body as he pulled her closer and grit his teeth.

__

I'll kill him. Duo thought, his face flaming with the hatred he was feeling for Trowa, his eyes flashing wildly. He looked down at her and said, "Rachel, come inside so I can get you dried off." She trembled, not able to move. He bent down and placed his arm behind her legs, lifting her into the air in his arms and carrying her slowly inside, her arms wrapped around his neck as she stared over his shoulder at the small crowd several feet away. He kicked the door shut and sat down on his bed, resting her on his lap. He stroked her hair away from her face and said, "You should get those wet clothes off, you're probably freezing. Are you?" She nodded her head as she shivered, still frozen in fear. Duo lifted her shirt, gently pulling it off and over her head, dropping it to the floor as he reached for his sheet. He wrapped it around her, rubbing her shoulders to dry her skin. She stared at him, her eyes blank with shock and her face pale and clammy. He reached up a corner of his sheet to her face and stroked her cheek, softly touching it to her lips as he noticed a little blood still at the corner of her mouth. He blinked and said, "Is this your blood?"

"No, I bit his tongue." His eyes widened and he said quietly, "He Frenched you?" She nodded slowly and he hugged her again. Rubbing her back, he said, "I'm so sorry, I should have gone with you! This is all my fault."

"He tried to undo my bra, I felt him fumbling with the hooks." Rachel said monotonely, still shaking. Duo growled and said, "I'll kill him. How dare he do that to you, after all you've done for that ungrateful-"

"Duo, please don't, I don't like curse words."

"I'm sorry, I'll try to stop. You can't blame me for being mad."

"I know." He leaned back and looked at her, saying, "Should I put your shirt back on then?" She just stared at him, lost in her memories of what happened. He put his arms around her, resting her head on his shoulder as he rocked slowly back and forth, trying to bring Rachel out of her shock while rubbing her to get her warmed up. He heard a knock at the door and his heart skipped a beat.

"Duo, it's Heero. Can I come in?"

"Sure." Heero opened the door, looking in and saying quietly, "Is she okay?"

"I don't think she will be. Have you seen Trowa yet?" She twitched at the mention of his name and Duo calmed her down with soft whispers.

"No, he hasn't shown his face. What happened." Duo looked up and said, "Can we talk about it later, she's really shook up about it." Heero nodded and said, "Should I leave then?"

"Heero. . ." Rachel whispered. Heero walked over to them and sat on the far side of Duo, looking into Rachel's blank expression.

"I'm here."

"It's so. . .cold. . ." She whispered. He touched her cheek and felt how icy it was.

"Duo, her skin feels like ice and her lips are slightly blue, you have to do something to get her warm." Heero said, letting his hand warm her cheek.

"I don't know what to do, I can't think straight knowing what happened to her." Duo said, sounding frustrated.

"Take her clothes off and get in bed with her, your body heat will warm her up."

"But, I can't!"

"Duo, what's more important right now, keeping her alive or being a gentleman?" Heero said sternly. Duo swallowed hard and said, "I. . .I can't undress a girl. . .I don't feel right doing it."

"Shall I do it for you?"

"NO! Don't you dare touch her." Duo protectively held her.

"She'll get pneumonia if you don't get her dried off! Stop being stubborn and just do it before she gets any worse." Reluctantly, Duo reached down to unbutton her capris.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but it's for your own good." Duo whispered, pulling down the zipper. Heero offered to take them off if Duo didn't feel comfortable doing so and did, gathering up the wet clothes and walking out, saying, "Now don't leave her until she's better, you hear me?" Duo nodded, pulling Rachel into the bed and curling up with her.

"Please don't die on me, Rachel, I love you too much to bare losing you." Duo whispered in her ear as she trembled in his arms. Heero started wringing out her white tank top over the railing as Relena walked up to him.

"Those are her clothes. . .Heero. . ." Relena said as he spread the damp shirt over the railing.

"She's getting sick, her skin is ice cold and she could get pneumonia if she doesn't get warm soon." Heero said as he started on the capris.

"Oh no, is there anything we can do?" Relena said, getting worried.

"No, we're out in the middle of nowhere and if we try to take her to a hospital she could die. All that we can do is keep her warm and hope she gets better overnight." Heero said, finishing with the pants and laying them next to the tank top.

"I feel so helpless, I want to do something to help." Relena said, clenching her fists against her chest, looking frustrated with concern. Heero turned to her and said, "Get the sheets from your room, she can use more covering." Excitedly, she nodded her head and raced off to retrieve the bedding from her hut. Quatre came running up from Chang's hut and said, "I just heard about Rachel, is she okay?"

"She's getting sick, I don't know if she'll make it." Heero answered, looking at the hut. Relena came running back quickly and Quatre looked at her, saying, "Let me take those in, go steal Heero's sheets too." Heero nodded to Relena and she dumped the bed sheets into Quatre's arms, running off to get more. He walked over to the hut and opened the door, peeking in to see Duo curled around Rachel's pale body.

"Duo, I have some more sheets for her." Quatre whispered. Duo looked up at him, tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, can you put them over her?" Duo said quietly. He obeyed and evenly covered the unconscious girl, making sure she was completely tucked in. He looked down sadly and said, "I wish I could help, I feel like I owe it to her to do something."

"You can help me keep her warm, I can't keep her warm by myself." Duo admitted. Blinking, Quatre said, "You. . .you don't mind?"

"If it'll keep her alive, I don't care." Quatre nodded just as Relena came running in.

"I stole Chang's and Trowa's sheets too, here." Relena said, handing the sheets to Quatre.

"Thank you." Quatre said with a weak smile. She nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Quatre placed the sheets over her and laid next to her, helping to keep her warm too. Relena looked down sadly as she whispered, "Heero, I'm so scared for her." Heero stepped up and pulled her into his arms, giving her a comforting hug.

"Come help me do some research to pass the time, I still haven't found out what happened at your mansion." Heero said. Relena nodded and they walked away, heading back to Heero's hut.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and I don't claim that Zechs would seduce anyone but Noin…

Chapter 20

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So. . .cold. . .where am I. . .Rachel opened her eyes weakly and stared into Quatre's blonde locks, her body softly twitching and trembling now and then. She tried to speak but found her jaw too cold to move as it chattered. She moaned and Quatre's greenish-blue eyes flittered open.

"Rachel?" Quatre stared into her eyes before saying, "Duo, she's awake!"

"She is? Rachel!" Duo sat up to look at her face as he turned her. She blinked slowly, still shivering. Overjoyed, Duo hugged her as he said, "Oh thank goodness, I was losing hope!" She stared blankly at him then at Quatre. He looked up and said, "Are you feeling better?" She shook her head and Duo lay back down, sighing.

"I can't believe this. . ." Duo said, the anger in him boiling up again. Quatre reached up, touching her cheek with his hand and saying, "At least she's not as cold as she was, her lips aren't blue anymore."

"That's good." Duo sounded exhausted as his grip on her loosened. Quatre looked concerned and said, "Duo, maybe you should sleep, you're going to be too tired to do anything if an emergency occurs. I'll keep an eye on her, don't worry."

"Alright, thanks, man." Duo muttered, closing his eyes and falling fast asleep. Quatre sighed and looked at Rachel again. He smiled and said, "You'll be okay, I can feel it. Just as soon as you get all warmed up and better we can find you something to eat and you'll be fine." He nuzzled his head against hers and muttered, "You'll be better soon. . ." She guessed that he was equally as tired if not more as he started to drift off to sleep as well. She closed her eyes, letting sleep take her away with her two heaters. Just then, she heard whispers of her name calling her. They got louder and louder until she opened her eyes and looked to find herself alone. She sat up and looked around, thinking, _I guess I'm all better now, they must have left to find some food._ She stood up and floated over to the open doorway. As she looked out, she saw a figure standing a few feet away, an arm outstretched in her direction. The voice came again, ringing in her mind as she stared dreamily at the silhouette stepping forward.

__

Rachel. . .Rachel, come to me. . . She heard a deep voice play in her thoughts, luring her toward the dark person. She stepped out of the hut and slowly approached what she guessed was a man, tall and nicely shaped as far as she could tell.

__

Who is this? It couldn't be Duo, he's much taller than my darling. . .She stopped, her hand being taken by the man. He stepped forward and revealed his hidden identity. It was Zechs, his mask shimmering in the pale moonlight. He pulled her close, placing his hand on her waist as he swept her off her feet, turning and spinning as he waltzed with her down the walkway toward the end of the encampment, whispering in her ear the whole way.

"I need you, Rachel, please come to me. . ." He whispered in his deep voice, gently swinging her from side to side.

"You need. . .me? But I am already here. . ." She replied in a soft airy voice, her eyes barely open but set on his white eyeholes.

"Come be by my side. . .I can't live without you. . ."

"You must be mistaken, you hardly even know me. . ."

"Fly away from here, stand with me, lead me in your beautiful light. . ."

"Zechs. . .Milliardo. . ."

"You know me so well. . .you are perfect for me then. . ."

"No, my heart belongs to Duo. . .he's the one for me. . ."

"Your heart may belong to him but what about your mind? Your body. . ." He ran his hand up her back, pulling her closer as they approached the end of the railing. He dipped her back, leaning her against the railing top, leaning forward with her as her head fell back, her hair dancing in the wind.

"But shouldn't those also belong to him if my heart does? Does he not deserve them as well?"

"Your mind is no one's. . .nobody can own a person's thoughts. . .not even if they wanted to. . ." He pulled out a rose, gently caressing her lips with its petals, running it down her chin and neck.

"So I see. . .but what about my body? Should it not also be his?"

"You may give that to whomever you wish. . .it does not have to be his. . .it could be. . ." He let the rose slide down her chest and stomach before bringing it back up.

"Yours?"

"Perhaps. . .if you wish it so. . ." he rolled the blossom across her lips again.

"But I am like a rose, Milliardo. . ."

"Beautiful and soft, delicate like silk and easy to break. . ."

"I also have thorns and if you hold me to tight I'll prick you, you'll bleed. . ."

"Is it not worth a little pain to be able to hold you?"

"But I soon will wilt if my heart drifts away, if it is far from my body in someone else's hands. . ."

"Can't they survive on their own? Must they be together all the time. . ."

"You cannot have one without the other, that is how it goes. You cannot have pedals without pollen; you cannot have a stem without thorns. . ."

"Of course. So you're a rose in someone else's garden. . ."

"Duo makes my heart bloom, brings it to life. . .I'm afraid there's no other for me. . ."

"Then I shall let you be. . ." Zechs pulled her back off the railing, lifting her up and sitting her on the rail, holding her by her waist as he stared up at her. She reached up to his mask as she spoke softly to him.

"There is a heart for you out there, closer than you could imagine. . ." Rachel started to lift the helmet off but he reached up, stopping her.

"You're close. . .you have a heart. . ."

"I thought you were letting me be. . ."

"Such beauty, your love had better cherish you. . ."

"He does. . ."

"But is he not jealous? Overprotective? He does not trust you. . ."

"He may. . .but he acts that way because he loves me, not because he doesn't trust me. . ."

"Are you certain? People wear masks for a reason, so does he. . ."

"Duo wears a mask?"

"You can't see it. . .he hides his true feelings from you, he does not trust you to love only him. . ."

"It's not true. . ."

"Your heart may be in his hands but is his in yours? No one is as they seem. . .not even me. . ." He released her arm and she pulled off his helmet. Underneath wasn't Zechs, but Trowa. She gasped as he grabbed her around the waist hard, saying, "No one is as they seem. . .be warned. . ." He gave her a hard shove and she toppled over the railing.

"No, it's not true, it's not. . ." She said, the air around her flying by as she plummeted to the ground below.

"Goodbye, Rachel. . ."

"No. . .no. . .he loves me. . .it's not true. . .no. . .NO!" She screamed, shutting her eyes and she felt a sharp pain in her back. Suddenly, she sat up, panting in a fit of tears and cold sweat. She stared wide-eyed at the wall, her heart pounding in her chest. Finally, as it sunk in, she realized it was all a dream. She reached up to her face, running her hand across her forehead and stopping over her face as she regained her senses.

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It was a dream. . .all just a dream. . .she thought, closing her eyes.

"Just a dream. . ." She whispered, sighing and slowly opening her eyes. She glanced down to find her clothes missing except for her underwear. She slowly pulled a layer of covers over herself as her gaze roamed over to a pair of dark legs beside her. Following them up to their owner, she stared at Duo's slumbering face, soft with dreams dancing in his head. She blankly watched him, but felt a pain in her back again.

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That dream was something else, making my back tense up into a knot. . .Rachel thought arching her back in as she let out a painful moan. Duo's eyes slowly eased open, and blinked wide as he looked up into Rachel's eyes. He sat up, saying, "You're awake, are you alright?"

"Yes but my back is all knotted up." Rachel said quietly, stretching it this way and that slowly. He crawled around behind her and started to gently and deeply rub her back, feeling the tenseness and working it out. She moaned in comfort as he said, "You're sweaty, I guess that's a good thing."

"I had a bad dream, I thought it was real at first."

"Oh? Bad how?" He worked his way up to her shoulders and she limply hung her head as she relaxed in his hands.

"I woke up and you weren't here, no one was. I heard someone calling to me, so I got up and walked to the door, looking out to see a shadowy figure coming toward me with its hand out. I went to it, taking its hand and finding out it was Zechs."

"Zechs?"

"Tall, blonde, gorgeous ice blue eyes, nice build. . ."

"I get the picture." Duo said, rolling his eyes.

"But he was wearing his metal helmet, covering half his face as usual. He started waltzing with me across the walkway to the end of the encampment, dipping me into the railing as he spoke to me. He was asking me to be with him, by his side. . ."

"What did you say?"

"I told him my heart belonged to you, then he went on to say that though my heart was yours, my mind and body weren't. . .he tried to convince me to give my body to him. But I told him I was like a rose, soft and delicate, beautiful in every way but like a rose I have thorns to prick you if I'm held too tightly in greed. Also like a rose, I am nothing without all of myself. Where there's petals there is pollen and where there is my stem, there are thorns. So if one part of me is spoken for, all of me is. But then he picked me up, putting me on the railing. He started telling me that you had a mask on, hiding your true feelings from me. I insisted it wasn't true but then I took off his mask. It wasn't Zechs. . ."

"Who was it?"

"It was Trowa. He told me no one was as they seemed, then pushed me off the railing. I started falling, my mind reeling with thoughts about what he had said, then I woke up."

"Wow. . .do you think it was just a strange dream or maybe part of you trying to tell you something?"

"Huh? What do you mean? Are you trying to say that it was right?"

"No. . .well, maybe. Dreams have always had meaning for me, telling me that something's about to happen or showing me how I really feel if I try to deny my true emotions."

"Do you have a mask, Duo? Are you hiding something from me?" Just then, Quatre woke and sat up, looking at Rachel.

"You're awake."

"So I've noticed. Thank you for keeping me warm, Quatre, it was sweet of you." She suddenly sneezed and coughed, sneezing again.

"Sounds like you have a cold, maybe I should see how your clothes are doing." Duo said, jumping up and crawling out of bed, walking out of the hut. Quatre patted Rachel on the shoulder and said, "Well, at least you're not freezing anymore."

"Why does he have to run off when I'm trying to talk to him." Rachel muttered, sighing as she pulled her knees up, leaning against them. Quatre cocked his head to the side and said, "Huh? What's the matter?"

"Can you rub my back, I have this painful knot and it won't go away. . ." He nodded and reached up, massaging out the knot.

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Mmm. . .he's better than Duo with his hands. . .Rachel thought, trying to relax.

"Duo, what are you doing out here?" Chang asked as he walked by.

"Oh, Rachel's awake and I think she has a cold. I was just coming out to check on her clothes." Duo said quietly, picking up her tank top and feeling it.

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Dry but cold. . .better warm it up a little. Duo thought as he rubbed the shirt in his hands, using the friction to heat the cold fabric. Chang grunted and said, "Don't tell her but Trowa turned up a few minutes ago, he's in the hut with Heero getting a lecture on being dishonorable. I wanted to just beat him up and threaten him to stay away from her or else." Duo stiffened and said, "I would have just beat the crud out of him and dumped him over the railing, watching him hit the ground and hopefully snap his neck."

"I see you've been dwelling on that thought for a while." Duo grunted angrily and picked up the capris, quickly rubbing them before taking both the garments and walking toward the hut.

"Make sure Heero at least decks him once for me." Duo commented over his shoulder.

"I already did, how do you think I got him in that hut in the first place?" Duo smiled and said, "Thanks, Chang." He walked inside and closed the door, leaving Chang surprised.

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He didn't call me Wu-man. . .he must really be upset. Chang thought as he walked on down to Relena's hut to give her a message from Heero.

"They're a bit cool but your clothes are all dry if you want to get dressed." Duo said, handing Rachel her pants and shirt.

"Thank you. You don't mind stepping outside for a minute while I change, do you?"

"Of course not, let's go, Duo." Quatre said, pushing Duo out the door. Rachel quickly got dressed and walked toward the door, opening it and stepping out. Duo and Quatre turned and smiled at her as she walked up to join them by the railing.

"You look fresh as a daisy." Duo said, kissing her cheek. She sneezed again and said, "A daisy that's allergic to its own pollen." They chuckled and Duo hugged her. Suddenly, they heard a door slam open and looked to see Trowa fly out of Heero's hut, looking furious and uncomfortable as he leaned against the railing, looking over the edge. Rachel squeezed Duo's arm as he put his arms around her protectively. Heero stepped out after Trowa and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him over and throwing him against the railing, making him face him as he held his collar tightly in his hands. He was talking sternly to him, giving him the death glare at the same time. Trowa glowered at him and then glanced away, finally noticing the group watching a little ways away. Heero pulled his face back and asked him a question again, Trowa nodded reluctantly and ground his jaw. Heero threw him in the direction of his hut and yelled, "And don't even think of coming out!" Trowa stalked away and went inside his hut, slamming the door.

"Wow, Heero really let into him. . ." Quatre said, staring at Heero as he turned and walked toward the group.

"I assume you're feeling better if you're up and about." Heero said calmly as he walked up.

"Yes but I have a cold." She replied, stepping away from Duo, as she felt safer. Heero nodded and said, "That's better than nothing. I think I might have to go out to get some supplies soon since we're running low from our store in the planes. Care to fly with me? I'm not sure if it's good to leave while Trowa's in his mood. . ."

"I can take care of her, don't worry." Duo said, putting his arm around her.

"I don't doubt that you'll try but Trowa listens to me, even if he doesn't look like it. He may just knock you unconscious." Heero commented.

"Hey, I'm sure Quatre and Chang will help me out if he tries anything." Duo commented, getting defensive.

"It's okay, Duo, I'll go. Besides, it might be a good idea, I might be sicker than we think and I'm sure you wouldn't disagree with me getting some medical attention, right?" Rachel asked, stroking Duo's chest with her finger while looking into his eyes lovingly. He melted and said, "Of course not. But. . .could I come too?"

"Please stay here, I think someone smart needs to keep an eye on Trowa for me while I'm gone so he doesn't try anything." Rachel cooed to him. He grinned stupidly as she kissed him on the nose and said, "Be a good boy and don't do anything that I wouldn't, okay?"

"Okay." She gave him a hug and Heero walked toward the elevator. She walked after him, blowing a kiss over her shoulder to Duo, whom caught it.

"You're really good at that whole flirting act, you know that?" Heero commented to Rachel.

"Eh, it comes naturally. . ." She shrugged, winking to Heero. He stared at her and said, "Do you honestly think it works on everyone?"

"Well, what do you think, Heero-sama? And might I add how cute you're looking today, your cheeks all rosy and your eyes happily shining every time you see a certain somebody. . ."

"Okay, stop, you've proved your point." Heero said, looking away as he blushed. She giggled and sighed at her winning flirt tactics. They made their way to one of the planes and took off to the nearest city for supplies and a quick doctor's visit.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and I don't own grocery stores or feminine hygiene products, nor am I a love doctor, so just enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 21

"Heero, can I ask you a question?" Rachel spoke in the middle of their flight, breaking Heero's concentration. He glanced over and said, "Depends on what it is." Turning in her chair to look at him, she said, "Well, I've been wondering. . .you seem to be doing as much as you can for Relena."

"Get to the point." Heero said, sounding like he was getting annoyed.

"I just wanted to know if you. . .liked her. And don't give me that whole 'mission' comment, I don't wanna hear it. I want the truth, all honesty, no cover up because you wanna look tough." He pushed the auto pilot button and turned to her, saying in a calm voice, "Rachel, what does it matter? And why should I tell you how I feel about some girl that I'm protecting from harm?"

"Because, I think you need help." He blinked and said, "Help?"

"I've seen how you've been acting around her, you get a dorky look if she touches you or looks at you in anything other than a serious gaze. You can't seriously tell me you know exactly what to say and do around her, cause if you do you sure aren't trying very hard."

"Why do you care so much about it? Besides, who says I care about her like that. . ."

"You do." He furrowed his brow and said, "What?"

"Just by the way you act. Heero, I'm not trying to put you on the spot, I just want to help you so you don't make a complete idiot of yourself in front of her. Unlike my boyfriend, I won't tease you about it and make your life a living hell for liking her."

"So he is your boyfriend?"

"Well, as far as I'm concerned yes, but that's something I need to discuss with him privately. But we're not talking about my relationship right now. I honestly just want to help you, nothing more. . ."

"I don't understand, why would you want to help me after what I put you through and said to you?"

"Because I don't care about the past, you're a human being who needs to feel, I know you want to but all that training, all those torturous sessions in killing people really killed you. I see how your heart sits idle in you, a small part of you longing for it to beat in your chest for something worth losing your mind over. You need something that will bring your heart back to life, Heero, and. . .I think Relena is just the person to do that. I've watched you, how your eyes light up when you see her, how your skin gets Goosebumps when she touches you, how every time you try to tell her the deep nagging feeling inside you is really your heart yearning for her. . .you choke. I couldn't live with myself if I just let you suffer like that, I can't watch you die little by little when you lock away your feelings." Heero stared blankly at her, shocked by her passionate speech.

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She cares so much about me. . .but, no one has ever cared that much about me before, I thought nobody would. . .or. . .could. . .Heero thought to himself. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach and he groaned, touching the knot forming inside him. She stood up and walked over to him, slowly kneeling in front of him and taking his hand, saying, "Heero, don't run away from her, you two belong together, it's destiny!"

"But. . .she deserves so much more than I could ever give her. I can't talk to her like it's nothing hard because it is, it's like getting teeth pulled just trying to get something to come out of my mouth. She gets so discouraged by me, I don't want to ruin her life just because of how she makes me feel."

"Have you ever asked her how she feels about you? Don't you think that maybe, just maybe, she feels the same?"

"How could she feel the same! She doesn't have any problem talking to me, the only problem is me!"

"Nobody's perfect, Heero. If she truly loves you, that won't matter to her."

"No, I don't have anything to offer, I'm nothing but a worthless, heartless soldier bent on accomplishing my missions."

"Then think of this as a mission. Heero Yuy, I assign you to sing 'If You're Not the One' and 'My Baby You' to Relena." Heero blinked and asked in confusion, "Why?"

"You'll understand, so will she. It'll work out, you'll see. Just do it, okay?" He looked thoughtfully at her determined face and finally let a soft smile cross his lips, whispering, "Mission: Accepted."

"Duo, where'd Heero and Rachel go?" Relena walked up to Duo, startling him out of his trance on the railing. He hopped off the edge and leaned back against the rail, saying, "They went to go get some food and check Rachel out at a hospital to make sure she's alright."

"Oh. How is she, by the way?"

"She seems to have gotten over the slight pneumonia she had but I think she has a cold now, that's why she went with him."

"Why didn't you go along?"

"Eh, no need for it. Besides, I can stay here and work on that backstabbing circus clown while Rachel's away." Duo glared at the last hut, trying to burn a hole through the wood walls right into Trowa's head.

"Take it easy, Duo. Yes, what he did was wrong but please, don't start a fight over this."

"Relena, you're too much of a pacifist." Duo turned away and walked to his hut, stepping in and closing the door behind him. She stared after him, thinking in surprise, _Too much of a pacifist? What does he mean? Am I. . .a bother? Maybe that's why Heero doesn't like me. . ._She sighed and looked out over the forest, saying, "Heero. . .do you truly dislike me?"

"Come on, I think I smell a market somewhere close!" Rachel said. She happily bounced through the crowd, making sure she didn't lose Heero in her rush to get something to eat. Heero scanned the place, doing his soldier impression subconsciously. Suddenly, Rachel grabbed his arm and he stared at her.

"What?" He said, a little startled.

"Stop that! This isn't a life or death mission, just a shopping trip! Now, help me find the market!" Rachel said, pulling Heero along by his arm. He obeyed and followed her. Soon, they came upon a grocery store, to Rachel's stomach's delight. With a grin, Rachel said, "Oh, my stooooomaaaach, let's go!"

"You're definitely the person for Duo, thinking with your stomach." Heero commented sarcastically, following her inside leisurely. She grabbed a cart, shoving it in Heero's direction.

"You push, I'll shop!" Rachel said with a wink. They walked through the store, gathering food supplies and other essential things that popped into mind. Rachel walked up to the cart and tossed in a pink box. Heero picked it up and looked at it, saying, "What are these for?"

"Unless you want to go shopping later for them when me or Relena get visited by Aunt Tilly, you better drop those back in the cart." Heero suddenly realized what they were and tossed them back with a disgusted look. Rachel laughed and thought, _Yep, he's definitely a guy. . ._

"Okay, are we done yet?" Heero asked, still a bit sickened from the last deposit in the cart.

"Yeppers, let's go check out now!" As Heero helped her unload the grocery cart, he asked in a low voice, "Who's paying for this?"

"I will, don't worry." He blinked blankly and thought, _Gee, I usually just pull out my gun. . .it pays for itself. . ._ She pulled money out of her pocket and handed it to the cashier, surprising Heero. They gathered the bags and walked out, heading for the loading dock to load up their groceries. Rachel paused by a men's clothing store and a smile popped onto her face.

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Gotta remember this place. . .Rachel thought to herself as she continued on. They dumped the bags into the hangar of their plane and closed it up, heading back out to swing by the hospital. She checked in with a doctor but only came out with some cold medicine.

"Well, at least you're not too sick." Heero commented as they strolled down the sidewalk back to the dock, looking casually around. Rachel spotted the clothing store again and grabbed Heero's arm, saying, "Come 'ere!"

"What! Hey, the docking bay's that way!" Heero complained as he was forced to follow her. She dragged him into the store and stopped in the middle of a suit corner.

"Hey, this would look so good on you. . ." Rachel started browsing. Heero stared wide-eyed at the clothing racks as he said quietly, "Why are we in here?"

"I thought you could use a change of clothing, seeing that you've been wearing that since the beginning of time it seems. Ooo, check this out. . ." Rachel pulled out a pair of slacks and said, "This would look nice on you!"

"Uh. . .I'm not a slack person. . ." Heero said, looking bored already. She tossed it back on the rack and said, "Okay, go look around for something, but don't get anything that's skin tight or stretchy! Now GO!" Rachel snapped Heero's spandex shorts and he glared wide-eyed at her. She giggled and ran off to do some searching of her own. Heero sighed and walked slowly around, looking briefly at the racks before glancing over at Rachel. She fluttered through the clothing racks, checking out different things and making quiet comments to herself about them before moving on.

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I wonder why she wants me to get different clothes? What's wrong with what I'm wearing right now? Well. . .I guess the shorts are a bit tight. . .Heero thought looking down at his clothes, pulling at them slightly in embarrassment. He was embarrassed of how he was dressed? It surprised him and he felt suddenly stupid as he walked quickly over to Rachel, trying to stay out of sight. He tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Um, Rachel?"

"Yes? Did you find anything yet?" Rachel looked at him, some clothes over her arm already. He shook his head shyly and she smiled, handing him the pile she had. He stared down at them and said, "What do I do with these?"

"Try them on over there and tell me what you think!" Rachel said, pushing him in the direction of a changing room. A few minutes later, Heero popped his head out and hissed at Rachel. She came strolling over and said, "Yes? You hissed?" Heero blushed as he said, "Well, what do you think. . ." He opened the door and let her see his outfit. Her eyes widened in surprise. He wore a slightly tight navy blue muscle shirt and close fitting white cargo pants, not as tight as his spandex shorts were. She smiled and said, "Wow, you look great! And much older, too. . .it's perfect! Change back and give me the clothes, I'll buy them for you." He closed the door and said, "But why are you buying me clothes?"

"Because, I don't like your old ones, that's why! It's not very modest either, I mean, spandex? Honey, it's just not a good look for you. . ." He opened the door and stepped out, handing her the clothes.

"Do you really think I look that. . .tacky?" Heero asked, looking embarrassed.

"Well, if you don't want to impress anyone. . .no. . ." She dropped the pile of clothes on the register counter and paid the cashier, taking the bagged clothes. They left the store and walked down the sidewalk, heading straight for the dock.

"Rachel?" Heero whispered, almost inaudible.

"Yes?" Rachel looked over at him.

"Thank you. . .for helping me, even though I don't deserve this. . ." She smiled.

"Hey, they're back!" Quatre announced as he saw the incoming plane landing on the hidden runway. Relena's eyes lit up and she leaned over the railing, waiting for the group to come in sight. They finally strolled out of the trees with their load of bags in hand and over their arms. They dumped it in the elevator and came up. Quatre and Duo were waiting at the top when they stopped.

"Hey, what'd you get? Ooo, food. . ." Duo snatched some of the bags up, fake running toward his room when Rachel fused at him.

"Put those in my room, I don't trust any of you guys to keep your hands off the merchandise!" Rachel sternly and playfully commented as she grabbed a bunch of bags. Quatre grabbed some as well and headed into her hut to set them down. Relena walked up, wiping the joyful grin off her face and walking up to Rachel, not looking at Heero once.

"Let me help you with those, Rachel." Relena said, taking some of the groceries from Rachel. She turned away and walked briskly to the hut, not even noticing Heero who tried to say something to her. He looked up at Rachel with a puzzled look and she shrugged in equal confusion. They walked into the hut and set down the load, pushing them into a nice pile out of the way. Heero stood up and looked for Relena who was looking through some of the bags.

"So, what's planned for the meal tonight? Pop tarts?" Relena asked as she pulled out random things and examined them. A thought popped into Rachel's mind and she said, "Oh, Heero's making something! Yeah, who would have thought that he's a good cook! Isn't that right, Heero?" His eyes grew wide for a second but Rachel elbowed him.

"Right, I'm not that good, you're exaggerating." Heero commented, glaring at her in confusion.

"Have you decided on what it is?" Relena casually asked, not taking her eyes off the bags. Rachel gave Heero a look and he swallowed, saying, "What, um, did you have in mind?" Relena finally looked up, seeing that she was being spoken to. She shyly looked away again and said as she stood, "Oh, I don't have any preferences, anything eatable is fine. I'll just leave you to plan the meal. . ." She quickly scooted out of the room, closing the door behind her. Heero looked surprised as he turned to Rachel and said, "Did you buy those things in time or something cause she's acting weird. . ."

"I don't think she's PMSing, Heero. Something must be wrong, I'll go talk to her. Hey, why don't you head down to your hut and start your 'mission' while I talk to her." Rachel said with a wink. He nodded and walked toward the door. Rachel gasped and grabbed up a bag, saying, "Heero, heads up!" He quickly turned and caught the bag she tossed at him, "Your new look."

"Oh, yeah. . .thanks." He looked down at it for a moment and whispered, "Will this work. . ."

"It's worth a try, Heero. If she feels the way you do about her, then it should work. If not, your charm and good looks should do her in." Rachel said, trying to reassure him, "Oh, and here." She tossed him a small rectangle box and he caught it with one hand, looking at it.

"What's this?" He turned it over and starting reading the label.

"It's cologne, she'll like it a lot. Just. . .don't bathe in it, just put enough on to be able to smell it." Rachel warned him. He tucked the box in his bag and peeked out the door to see if the coast was clear before dashing out. He snuck down the walkway with the bag stuffed down his shirt and as soon as he reached his hut, quickly dashed inside and closed the door. He let out a sigh and looked into the room. Holding his breath again, he stared at Relena on his laptop.

"R-Relena! What are you doing?" He stammered, a little nervous about the whole situation. She looked up and said, sounding startled, "Heero! I didn't know you'd come back so soon! I. . .I was just looking something up about the news, that's all, honest!" She jumped up and ran for the door as he stepped out of the way.

"Wait, it's oka-" Heero tried to calm her but she said, "I'm sorry, I won't touch it again." She dashed out of the room and disappeared. His heart pounding, Heero sighed in frustration.

"It was fine, Relena. . ." Heero muttered to himself. He walked slowly over to his bed and plopped down, pulling out the bag and setting it next to him. He looked down at the computer to see what she was doing and found she was reading the research he was working on for her.

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She must really be worried, she didn't even ask me how it was going. . .why is she avoiding me so much? Heero thought as he closed out the file and began his search for the songs.

"Relena, there you are! Hey, I was wonderi-" Rachel looked up as Relena flew into her bed, sobbing. Blinking in confusion, Rachel walked over to the bed. She sat down next to Relena's shaking body and rested a hand on her back, saying, "Relena, what's wrong? Why are you cr-"

"Heero hates me, I know it!" Relena sobbed out loud, grabbing her pillow and weeping into it. Rachel's eyes grew wide and she said, "W-why do you think that he hates you?"

"I was snooping in his computer when he caught me, and now he hates me!"

"Did he tell you that?"

"No, but he sounded angry."

"You sure?"

"Rachel, why are you being so obstinate!" Relena sat up and stared at her, tears running down her cheeks.

"Uh, I just think you're overreacting a little. . ."

"Am I? He hasn't talked to me at all and when I think he's going to say something, it turns out to be something about business. He doesn't care about me, I'm just part of his mission!" Rachel grabbed Relena by the shoulders and said, "Relena, stop! You don't know what you're talking about, okay? Look, he's just not the talkative type. He's probably just afraid of saying something and looking like an idiot."

"Ha, him! He's Mr. Soldier boy, he's not scared of anything."

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More than you could ever imagine, Relena. . .Rachel thought, not wanting to spoil Heero's surprise.

"Please Relena, don't jump to conclusions. You two got off on the wrong foot, that's all."

"I don't think so, I think he doesn't like me." Relena looked sadly down at the bed, still crying. Rachel pulled Relena into a hug and said, "Oh, Relena. . ." She wrapped her arms tightly around Rachel as she cried more. Just then, Duo stepped in, saying, "Hey, what's. . .up?" He stared at the two girls and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Rachel shook her head and nodded toward the door. He tried to say something but she gave him a death glare.

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Yeek! She's too good at that. . .Duo thought as he quickly backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Quatre came walking up and said, "What's wrong? Why the terrified look?"

"Don't go in there, dude. You'll get the death glare if you do." Duo said, shaking off the cold feeling he had left from "the look". Quatre looked confused and Duo put his arm around him, turning him around as they walked toward their hut.

"So, that's why Rachel wants me to sing this. . ." Heero thought as he read the lyrics to the songs.

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I understand now. . .I just hope it's not too late. . .Heero thought, hoping Relena would understand too.

"Man, it's been almost an hour, how long till we can eat!" Duo complained as Rachel walked by him. She patted him on the stomach and said, "Don't worry, I'll whip something up for you guys." His face got serious as he said in a lower voice, "What was wrong with Relena?"

"Nothing, just forget it, okay? Don't talk to her right now, I got her calmed down enough to stop crying. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." She walked away, heading for Heero's hut. She knocked and heard a grunt, opening the door and walking in.

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I wonder what's going on? Everyone's acting so weird lately, I'm getting confused. . .Duo thought as he turned to lean on the railing, looking out over the forest at the setting sun. The hews of orange and pink mesmerized him as he sighed.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the songs "If you're not the one" by Daniel Beddingfield and "My Baby you" by Marc Anthony, even if they are SO romantic and I love them…swoons to Marc Anthony CD as she sings along .

Chapter 22

"Relena, Heero wants to talk to you." Rachel said as she walked into the hut. Relena looked up, a little nervous.

"Um, why?" Relena asked. Rachel shrugged and said, "Not sure, it's probably nothing. . ."

"But, wasn't he suppose to be making dinner?" Relena asked as she stood up.

"Oh, he got busy with something so he asked me to make it."

"I can help!"

"Noooo, you can go to Heero and find out what he wants." Rachel pushed Relena out the door. Relena turned and said, "What if he wants to tell me how he feels!"

"Is that really a bad thing?"

"Huh?" Rachel shoved Relena out the door and closed it, leaving Relena to feel confused as she walked slowly down the walkway. No one was out at the moment so she felt alone, a cold breeze blowing by her.

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I feel like I'm walking down death row. . .Relena thought as she approached Heero's hut. With a deep breath she reached up to knock on the door. Her hand froze and she stared at the wood, scared out of her mind.

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What if he wants to tell me he doesn't like me! What if he tries to tell me I creep him out! What if it's nothing and I'm just freaking out! Just knock on the door, Relena. Relena finally let out the breath she was holding and knocked softly on the door.

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It's her! Okay, keep cool. . .don't freak out. . .Heero jumped up, making sure his new outfit looked neat and he didn't smell too overpowering. With a sigh, he walked to the door and opened it, looking into Relena's fake smile.

"You. . .asked for my presence?" Relena said, trying to look calm. Heero nodded and said as he stepped aside, "Come in, I need to talk to you." She swallowed deep inside as she felt butterflies building up in her stomach. Stepping in, she caught a scent in the air that tickled her nose pleasantly. Heero closed the door and faced her, saying, "Have a seat." She sat down on his bed and looked up, admiring his new clothes.

"You look very nice tonight, Heero. . .I like your shirt." Relena said shyly. Heero tried to smile as he said, "Yeah, I got it earlier today." Relena sniffed and said, "Is that Old Spice?"

"Yes." He looked down at his normal orange sneakers and they toed the floor nervously.

__

Okay, Heero, this is it. No turning back, this is your moment to tell her how you feel. Now, open that mouth you have and say something! Heero thought to himself. He stepped forward slowly and said, "Relena, I. . ."

Relena looked up at him, a little nervous. He grit his teeth as he said, "I wanted to. . .sing you some songs." Relena blinked in surprise and said, "Sing. . .for me?"

__

Is this a good thing or his way of saying goodbye? Relena thought as she clenched her skirt in her fists tightening in her lap.

"I haven't been able to say anything to you because every time I try. . .I. . .choke. But, I think it might be because I don't think I deserve to say anything to you. My mind tells me to leave you alone but. . .but my heart says. . ." She looked up with hopeful eyes, staring into his nervous Prussian blue irises, quite visible around his shrunken pupils. He looked away, his heart pounding in his chest as he thought, _Now, start the song and stop being nervous, she's waiting for you! _He leaned over, pushing a button on his laptop. A tune drifted from the small speakers and Relena listened to it for a brief moment before Heero knelt in front of her and took her hands, looking into her eyes.

"♪If you're not the one then why does my soul feel glad today? If you're not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way? If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call? If you are not mine would I have the strength to stand at all? I never know what the future brings, but I know you are here with me now. We'll make it through, and I hope you are the one I share my life with.♪"

__

Oh, Heero. . .Relena's heart pounded in her chest as she listened to his slightly shaky alto voice.

"♪I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand. If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way that I can stay in your arms? If I don't need you then why am I crying on my bed? If I don't need you then why does your name resound in my head? If you're not for me then why does this distance maim my life? If you're not for me then why do I dream of you as my wife?♪"

"Heero. . ." Relena gasped. He put a finger over her lips.

"♪I don't know why you're so far away, but I know that this much is true. We'll make it though, and I hope you are the one I share my life with. And I wish that you could be the one I die with. And I'm praying you're the one I build my home with. I know I'll love you all my life. I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand, if I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way that I can stay in your arms? 'Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away. And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today. 'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right, and though I can't be with you tonight, I know my heart is by your side. I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand, if I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way that I could stay in your arms?♪ I love you. . ." Relena gasped, her heart leaping in her chest as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Heero. . .I. . ."

"Relena, that's exactly how I feel about you. I can't live without knowing that I'll see you everyday, see that beautiful smile you give me, even though I don't deserve such love and devotion."

"No, I love you so much, Heero, I'll always be with you." Relena fell into his arms, hugging him tightly as she sobbed. Tears came to his own eyes as he whispered, "Thank you. . .for caring so much."

"I thought you hated me, you never talked. . .I was getting worried." He pulled her back and said with a smile, "I guess it's a good thing I did this now then, huh?" She laughed and said happily, "Yeah, it is." They hugged again, feeling the warmth of each other's hearts beating in their chests, sharing the life that their newfound love brought to them. Heero kissed her cheek and held her close as he got up and sat next to her on the bed. She leaned into him and he cradled her in his arms, rocking slightly as he said, "I did have one more song I wanted to sing, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. . ." Relena whispered, drifting into a state of bliss.

"I couldn't find the music for this one so you'll just have to be happy with my singing."

"Why wouldn't I be. . ." She said lovingly, snuggling her head into his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He stroked her hair gently as he started.

"♪As I look into your eyes, I see all the reasons why, my life's worth a thousand skies.You're the simplest love I've known, and the purest one I'll own. No, you'll never be aloneMy baby you are the reason I could fly, and cuz of you I don't have to wonder why. Baby you - there's no more just getting by. You're the reason I feel so alive. Though these words I sing are true, they still fail to capture you, as mere words can only do. How do I explain that smile, and how it turns my world around, keeping my feet on the ground! My baby you are the reason I could fly, and cuz of you I don't have to wonder why. Baby you - there's no more just getting by. You're the reason I feel so alive.♪" Heero held her tightly as he sang his heart to her.

"♪Ohh - I will sooth you if you fall, I'll be right there if you call, you're my greatest love of all!♪" Relena sat up, so taken back by the passion in his voice as she stared awestruck into his wild eyes, burning with the love he had for her. He stared deep into her eyes, singing passionately, "♪You are the reason I could fly and cuz of you, I don't have to wonder why. My Baby You - there's no more just getting by! Cuz you're the reason I feel so alive. Oh Relena, I feel so alive.♪" She melted into his arms and said, "Oh Heero. . ."

"Relena. . ." Heero lifted her chin and kissed her deeply, pulling her close into his arms as they melted into each other's embrace.

__

Way to go, Heero. . .Rachel thought as she stepped away from the hut, smiling happily at the budding love. She sighed and walked back to her hut to make dinner, floating on a cloud as she went.

"Rachel? What's with the sudden happy mood?" Duo stepped out as she passed by. She fluttered over and kissed him on the cheek, saying, "Come help me make dinner."

"Okay. . ." Duo said, not going to complain with a kiss. They walked together to her hut and went inside to find food to create a meal out of. About 30 minutes later, they brought a warm meal out to a table and chair set in the middle of the camp.

"Sit the food down, I'll call the others." Rachel said.

"I was wondering what this was for. . .who would have thought, eating at a table. . ." Duo commented with a sarcastic grin. Rachel rolled her eyes and cleared her throat, calling out, "DINNER TIME!" Quatre came running out, saying, "Food? Really!"

"Yes, have a seat." Rachel said with a smile. Chang came walking out of his hut and said, "Good, I'm starving. Should I take some back to Trowa or let him starve?" Duo seemed to have "Starve" on his mind as he growled under his breath. Rachel ignored Duo's comment and said, "He may join us, if he's comfortable with it." Duo looked at her with a surprised gaze and said, "What!"

"Duo, there's no point in holding grudges, there's no room for that in a war situation like this when we need to work together to bring peace to this world."

"You're forgiveness and strength is honorable, for a girl." Chang commented with a slight cynical smile as he turned, saying, "I'll go give him his opinions."

"Thanks, Chang." Rachel said, her eyes narrowed as she glared at the laughing Chinese boy.

"He's right, you're being very kind to him about this. Even if this is a war, you have every right to be mad at him." Quatre said. Rachel sighed and said, "Like I've said over and over, it's what I believe in."

"Yeah, but is all this forgiveness really worth it?" Duo muttered.

"Yes, Duo. I love God and respect his wishes so if he wants me to forgive Trowa, I will." Blinking in wonder, Quatre said, "God?" Just then, Relena and Heero came out together, holding hands and smiling happily. Duo whistled and said, "Looking spiffy today, aren't we?" Heero smiled and said, "Yes, I thought I was due for a change."

__

Wow, he didn't shoot me a death glare, he's in a GOOD mood! Duo thought as he helped set the table. Heero pulled out a chair for Relena and she sat in it.

"Thank you, Heero." She said, a hint of love in her voice. He seemed to purr as she touched his hand, holding it to her cheek. He sat down and said, "Sorry I had to dump all the dinner making on you, Rachel."

"Oh, it was no problem at all, Duo helped me make it."

"Better get Chang to test it first, I might have accidentally put too much chili powder in the food." Duo grinned. They laughed happily and all looked up as Chang walked up with Trowa behind him looking at the floor with his hands in his pockets. Heero got a stern look on his face and Relena squeezed his hand. Rachel took the initiative to ease the mood as she said, "Ah, come sit down everyone, the food's getting cold." Duo pulled out a seat for her and sat her, sitting next to her while fighting the urge to tackle Trowa and kill him. Rachel smiled and said, "You guys don't mind if I pray before we eat, do you?"

"Of course not, we'll all pray." Duo said, holding her hand. They bowed their heads as Rachel prayed out loud.

"Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us together on this pleasant evening for dinner. Let the food be good and not make anyone sick as I'm not quite sure what I was doing. Just kidding!" They stifled laughter as she continued.

"But anyway, thank you for my friends and fair health, keep us all safe from danger. In Jesus name, A-men." They all said amen in unison and looked up, smiling happily as they began to pile food on their plates.

"Mmm, these mashed potatoes are delicious!" Quatre said as he grinned happily, taking another forkful of the white pile on his plate and eating it.

"Thank you, it's a specialty of mine." Rachel grinned.

"Hey, who barbecued the chicken?" Relena asked as she cut a piece of chicken from the breast on her plate. Duo pointed at Rachel and said, "She insisted she knew what she was doing so I let her do it while I cooked the broccoli and cauliflower."

"I should hope that I knew what I was doing, I've only been barbecuing for 7 years!" Rachel commented mockingly.

"Really? Do you do it for fun?" Quatre asked.

"Well, sort of. I participate in a competition every year, I always get first place and go on to state so I guess I'm pretty good." Rachel grinned.

"Modest, isn't she. . ." Chang commented. They laughed and ate more in silence. Heero glanced over at Trowa and watched him slowly poke at his chicken, pulling small pieces off into a pile on his plate and leaving them there. Trowa felt his gaze and looked up, feeling a little uncomfortable being there. Heero gave him an "Eat it, don't play" look and Trowa obeyed, slowly picking up some food and putting it in his mouth.

"So, how did you check out at the hospital earlier?" Relena asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh, he said I only had a cold and gave me some medicine. These boys really saved my life, I probably wouldn't have made it if it weren't for them!" Rachel said, patting the boys on either side of her.

"Why, what happened." Trowa said timidly. Everyone looked surprised and Rachel stared at him.

"It was cold and I was extremely wet and weak from using my powers too much lately. I could have gotten pneumonia but Quatre and Duo kept me warm all night and morning." Trowa looked ashamed as he stared back down at his plate.

"Oh." Trowa said before stuffing some mashed potatoes in his mouth. The group sat in awkward silence again as they ate and stared at their food. Duo finished his third plateful and let out a content sigh, saying, "Well, I'm stuffed."

"Finally, I thought you'd go for a fourth plate of food!" Chang commented, finishing his second plate and stopping.

"Nah, don't wanna be too much of a pig!" Duo chuckled and slid his chair back, standing and stretching lazily. Rachel tickled his stomach and he quickly brought his arms back down to grab her hand, laughing. Rachel smiled and said, "I'm done too, maybe we can go for a walk to work off the big meal."

"Big meal? You only had one plateful! And it wasn't even a full plate either!" Duo complained.

"A full plate does not mean that you can't see the plate under all the food, Duo." Rachel rolled her eyes and he tickled her sides, saying, "You're going to waste away if you don't eat more!"

"And you'll turn into a blimp if you don't eat less!" Rachel said, puffing out her cheeks and stomach. Everyone laughed as she ran off, trying to escape Duo's tickle attacks. Trowa stood up and picked up his plate, saying, "I'm going to my room." He walked away and everyone watched him go. Relena frowned and said, "He seems really miserable about what happened, maybe we should do something."

"He needs to think about what he did, just leave him be." Heero said, finishing off the last of his vegetables.

"Okay. . ." Relena said reluctantly, watching Trowa slowly open his door and walk in, closing it behind himself quietly.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters or other stuff. . .the only thing I do claim is that Rachel can BBQ. . .it's true, I've had some of the goods, yummy. . . Uh, yeah, I also don't own any Latin recording labels so don't sue me for the phat salsa beats that I never mentioned lyrics of. . .hehe. .

Chapter 23

"Heero, what are you looking at? Doesn't look like me. . ." Relena joked, sitting behind Heero on his bed and wrapping her arms around his neck, looking over his shoulder at the laptop screen glowing in front of him. He smiled and said, "The news. I just found out that there's a battle wave of OZ troops heading across the lands destroying and conquering anything and everything in its wake. Rumors say the attack's being led by one of their Lieutenants called 'The Lightning Count', with another Lieutenant in second command. I wonder if this is the same one I met. . ."

"You met?" Relena looked at his face, leaning her cheek on his shoulder.

"Lieutenant Zechs Merquise, he caught me one time. . ." Relena sat back and said, "Really? Someone caught you?" He glanced at her and said, "Yes, I would have escaped."

"But?"

"But. . .Rachel came and saved me before I got the chance. . ." Heero looked embarrassed.

"Well then I'll have to thank her, I wouldn't have you in my arms right now if it weren't for her." Relena hugged his neck and he grinned. Putting down his laptop, he turned and pulled Relena into his arms, saying, "And I wouldn't be doing this. . ." He pulled her into a kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer into the kiss as he ran his hands down her back. A knock came at the door and Heero let out an exasperated sigh as he said, "Go away!" Relena whacked him for being so rude and said as she tried to sit up, "Who is it?"

"Well, it was Rachel but I'm guessing I'm gone now. . ." Came a voice from the other side of the door.

"Yes."

"No! Come in." Relena giggled as Rachel peeked open the door, taking a glance before opening the door all the way. She stepped into the doorway, putting a hand on her hip, "Am I interrupting something?" Relena cupped her hands over Heero's mouth and he flailed as he fell back into her.

"Not at all! What is it?"

"I just wanted to know about this rumble I keep hearing now and then, since there's fairly clear skies out." Rachel asked. Heero looked at her, finally getting serious. Relena let him go as he sat up and took his laptop, saying, "I don't think it's thunder, it could be this battle wave sweeping across the continent with some 'Lightning Count' leading it. Do you know who that is?"

"Lightning Count. . .that's Zechs! But why would he lead that. . ." Rachel mused, her brows furrowed.

"I thought it was. It also mentions another lieutenant as his second-in-command."

"That would most likely be Noin, she's always his aid. . .does it mention why they're attacking?"

"No, there's not much information on it."

"Perhaps they're after me?" Relena suggested.

"If that's the case, then they can't have you." Heero said. Relena blushed and Rachel said, "Well. . .I wish I could help some but things have changed drastically from how they were suppose to happen, nothing's the same now."

"I know one way you can help. . ." Heero had a half grin on his face. Relena plastered her hands over his mouth again and said, "Heero!" He licked the palms of her hands and she pulled away, saying, "EW! Why'd you lick me!"

"Well, I'd rather lick something else but not with someone watching. . ." Relena looked blankly at him as Rachel's eye twitched, thinking, _Oh gosh. . .he's so blunt and she's so naïve. . .this is awkward. . ._

"Heero, that's just nasty, since you're not married but that's just my standards so fine, do whatever kinky thing you want to but don't tell me about it. . ." Rachel waved her hand at them and Relena finally understood. With a gasp, she jumped up and ran after Rachel. Heero fell back on the bed and said, "Relena, wait!"

"You're sick!" Relena said, running out the door. Rachel blinked and Heero growl/sighed into his hands, grumbling, "Why'd you have to go and tip her off. . ."

"Not my fault; I think the licking comment was all your fault. . ." Rachel said, rolling her eyes. She closed the door and went back to her room to find Relena curled up on her bed. Rachel sighed and sat next to her, saying, "Relena, what's wrong?" She shot up and said, "He wanted to have sex, didn't he!" Rachel blinked, sweating a little from her bluntness.

"Um. . .well, I think he wanted to do something to lead into it. . .maybe. . ." Rachel seemed uncomfortable about talking about that. Relena looked angry as she said, "That pig! He only said those things to get me into bed! Well I don't do that, I'm a good girl, I have standards!"

"Relena, calm down! Look, he probably just misunderstood your body language. Just tell him you're not ready and I'm sure he'll understand. . ."

"What does God say about that?" Rachel looked surprised by Relena's religious question, saying, "Oh, well. . .it is one of the Ten Commandments, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery', which is sex outside of marriage."

"That's right. . .I almost forgot. Oh Rachel, I could have. . .what do I do?" Relena sounded desperate as she grabbed onto Rachel's arm. Rachel smiled and patted Relena's hand, saying, "If you don't want to do it, tell him. If he really loves you he'll understand and realize he'd risk losing you if he tried that. As long as you have a limit as to how far you'll go, he'll be good."

"Do you really think so?"

"Absolutely, just tell him no and he should listen. If not, glare at him and he'll get the idea." Rachel winked and Relena smiled a little.

"Thank you, Rachel, you're a good friend." Relena said with a kind smile. They stood and Relena said, "I think I'll go tell Heero now, see ya later?"

"Yeah, good luck." Relena waved and walked out the door.

__

Don't be a jerk, Heero, I can only cover for you so many times. . .Rachel thought as she sighed and flopped onto her bed to take a nap. As she began to drift off to sleep, she heard a soft thump on the roof of her hut. She opened her eyes and peered at the door. A shadow appeared under the crack and she held her breath. The door quickly swung open and in dashed Trowa, quietly closing the door behind him. Rachel leapt to her feet, standing on the bed and putting up her fists. Trowa stared at her, wide eyed as she said, "Hey, you're not suppose to be out! Get out! Or I'll scream! And this time, someone will hear me." Trowa put up his hands and said, "Calm down, I'm not here for that. I just wanted to apologize without a crowd glaring at me!" Rachel didn't put down her defenses as she said, "Fine, say it and leave." Trowa sighed and walked slowly over to Relena's bed, sitting down. He looked at his feet shamefully and said, "I'm. . .sorry for being so brash with my feelings. I can't explain why I did that, I don't even understand it myself. . ." Rachel slowly lowered her hands and plopped down into an Indian style sitting position as she said, "What do you mean! Are you trying to say the Devil made you do it?"

"No." He looked up at her, looking a bit uncomfortable and restless. She felt a chill run up her back.

__

Why does he have to look at me like that. . .Rachel thought as she rubbed her arm slowly.

"Then. . .what the heck was your problem?"

"When you healed my burns. . .I felt like your hands were all over me, touching my body and. . .it felt awkward. . ." He crossed his arms, hugging himself slightly. Rachel swallowed hard and said, "Really? So. . .what does that have to do with what you did?"

"The night before I talked to you, I couldn't sleep. I had really asked Chang if I could take his shift at keeping watch cause I didn't want to sleep, I kept having dreams about you every time I closed my eyes to sleep, and they weren't kosher, if you get the idea. . ."

"Um, yeah. . ." Rachel grit her teeth, becoming extremely uncomfortable being there alone with Trowa.

"So I tried to stay up and get my mind off of you. But the chills kept coming back like you were there again, your hands touching my skin and. . .I couldn't take it anymore, I was going out of my mind. I thought that. . .maybe if I. . .I'm sorry, I just didn't want to tell you that I had been having inappropriate dreams about you."

"So you thought that maybe if you ran your hands all over me you'd feel better? That makes sense. . ."

"I'm sorry, okay? When I kissed you. . .I don't know, it's like my hands had a mind of their own. I couldn't stop them, something else kept them moving. I never intended to. . ." He looked like he wanted to jump over the railing as he scrunched up, his hands clenched tightly around his arms, digging into his skin. He closed his eyes and said in a whisper through clenched teeth, "I want to claw my skin off, I hate this feeling. . .it's driving me insane and I can't tolerate it anymore! I've. . .I've never felt like this. . .please, make it stop. . ." Rachel looked sympathetic as she said, "Trowa. . .I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I can't look at you without getting chills. . .I. . .can't. . .take it. . ." He shivered as chills ran up and down his spine, causing him to moan in displeasure. Standing, Rachel walked over to him and said, "Maybe I can do something to help. . .if I made it happen in the first place, perhaps I can reverse it."

"P. . .please. . ." Trowa looked up pleadingly, his eyes wide with fear. His gaze stunned her, her own eyes growing large.

__

What have I done to him! This is freaking him out, just because I tried to help him! Maybe I shouldn't do that anymore. . .oh gosh, what if Quatre's feeling the same way? Rachel knelt in front of Trowa, saying, "Trowa, I don't know what to do about this. . ." Rachel looked sadly into his desperate eyes as he reached down and took her hands, startling her slightly. He pulled her hands up to his chest, resting them against his pounding heart. She didn't take her eyes off of him and him likewise as he said, "Just do as your heart leads you to, I don't care what you have to do, just make it stop."

"Well, okay then. Lay back." Rachel said. Trowa obeyed and slowly reclined onto the bed, stretching out his body as he let out a sigh. Rachel swallowed and slowly lifted his shirt, touching his stomach. His muscles trembled under her hand.

__

His body's ripped. . .wait, gotta focus here. . .Rachel closed her eyes, feeling the slow breathing movements as Trowa took sharp breaths nervously. Her hands slowly moved up his abdomen across his rib cage that seemed to jerk when she floated past it to his chest. She stopped over his heart and said, "Tell me, Trowa, do you have any hidden feelings or emotions perhaps?" He glanced down at her and said in a low, uneasy voice, "What do you mean. . ."

"Just talk to me, tell me how you've been feeling about this mission ever since you joined us."

"I. . .I don't know about this. . ."

"Do you want to get better?" He sighed and said, "Well, when you spoke to me the first time we met, I really wasn't sure if I should believe you or shoot you in the head because you had followed me all the way back to the circus. But then I felt bad because I wouldn't believe you, then you healed my cheek and I was totally confused about you. Later when I was talking to Heero, he told me you knew about Catherine and then I began to wonder who in the world you were. Of course, then I attacked you in the plane and everything went crazy after that. I was so intrigued about you, being so generous with your life and forgiving me every time I did something to you like today. I. . .I don't know why I felt so compelled to stop you from burning those guards to death, even though I hurt myself in the process. And I stopped you from burning down the entire base by putting you out with a fire extinguisher and wrapping you in my shirt. I felt so. . .responsible for your life since you had saved mine before. I don't know if it was respect or fear that made me do it but I did. After you healed me, I felt worse then when I was barbecued alive. I couldn't sleep well, I felt strange every time I woke, like the energy was sucked out of me more when I rested. And. . .well, I lost my mind." He slowly looked up at the ceiling, saying, "I feel like my body wants you, but I don't even think of you that way. Well, I didn't, at least before you healed me. But now I can't make them go away, the thoughts. . .the images. . .it hurts now more than feeling good. Please, I can't go anywhere. . .make it stop."

"Okay." Trowa looked down at her in surprise and she smiled, saying, "Better?" He sat up, staring blankly at the wall while waiting for the chills to start up, but nothing happened. He touched his stomach and said in a low whisper, "It stopped." Rachel stood up and turned to walk to the door, saying, "I figured out that your mind was a little scrabbled still from when my Gundam went into your mind, it wasn't fully over the shock when I healed you so it took in all the feelings of the situation and took hold of them, like it was trying to find something to grasp so it didn't feel so lost. I just had to give it back its freedom to gather itself together again, so you should be able to sleep now without any trouble." She reached to open the door when she felt Trowa's body against hers, his arms wrapping around her tightly. She froze, startled by his sudden reaction.

"Thank you." Trowa whispered into her ear sincerely, holding her gently in his arms as he leaned his head against her shoulder, sighing contently. She felt a warm, damp feeling against her bare shoulder and smiled, saying, "Just keep your distance for a while, Duo's still peeved at you and might go at your throat with Wufei's katana." Trowa laughed and pulled away, saying, "Hopefully we can still be friends?" She faced him and nodded, her soft expression making Trowa sigh. She blinked and said, "Why the sigh?"

"I envy Duo, he's one lucky boy to have fallen in love with you. . .he better realize what he has." She blushed innocently and said in a meek voice, "I don't know if I'm that special. . .I'm no nicer than Relena!"

"No offense to her, but you are." She smiled and said, "I think you'd better go."

"Will you tell them that you're not mad at me anymore?" Trowa asked as he stepped to the door. She nodded and he smiled once more before disappearing up onto the roof, leaving behind a few loose leaves drifting down. Rachel stepped back inside and laid back down, curling up on her side as she drifted off to sleep finally.

"Hey, do you know where Trowa went?" Quatre asked as he walked up to Chang, who was relaxing on the railing with his coat off in the breeze.

"Hmm. . ." He didn't quite pay attention to the question as the wind played with his ponytail. Quatre cleared his throat and Chang finally looked at him, saying, "What!"

"I said do you know where Trowa went." Quatre repeated himself.

"Into the hut, didn't you see him walk off after Rachel and Duo left?" Chang said, talking to him as if he was a child.

"Yes, but he's not there, I just came from the empty hut to see if he had been out here for some reason."

"What! He's not in the hut! Why didn't you tell me sooner!" He jumped down and ran to the hut, leaving Quatre to roll his eyes and mutter about Chang's selective hearing as he strolled along behind him. Chang threw the door open and blinked as Trowa looked up at him in surprise. Quatre peeked around the corner and said, "Hey, there you are! Were you hiding or something?"

"Dope, look better next time before you interrupt my meditation!" Chang said with his eyes narrowed, bopping Quatre on the head before grumbling back to his spot on the railing. Quatre rubbed his head as he walked in, muttering over his shoulder, "He wasn't there a second ago. . ."

"What's going on?" Trowa asked as he innocently looked up at his guest. Quatre closed the door and sat down, saying, "Hey, I just wanted to check in on you to see if you needed anything."

"I'm fine. I thought you were on Duo's side, why care about me?" Trowa asked in a calm voice.

"Well, I've been trying that whole forgiveness thing Rachel seems to be talking about all the time. It's hard to keep up but it gives you a better peace about things." Quatre smiled. Trowa looked across the room and said nonchalantly, "You don't have to, I don't mind."

"But it makes me feel better and everyone deserves a second chance, right? Well, I'm going to go see how Rachel is doing. Later!" Quatre stood up to go when Trowa whispered, "She's fine."

"Huh?"

"I hope she's fine." Trowa said louder. Quatre nodded and stepped out. Trowa sighed and laid back on his bed.

__

That was too close. . . Trowa thought to himself as he closed his eyes. He woke to the beat of music playing that he recognized the style of. Sitting up, he walked to his door and opened it, looking out to see the group on the dining deck, the furniture cleared to make a dance floor. Chang was watching Rachel teach Duo how to Latin dance and Relena and Heero watched from the side together while Quatre rocked back and forth happily to the beat. Trowa stepped out of the hut and slowly walked up, saying, "What's going on?" Duo accidentally stepped on Rachel's toe as Trowa spoke and she yelped.

"Ah! Sorry, Rach! What are you doing out?" Duo gave Trowa a glare.

"I'm teaching everyone how to Salsa dance, it's a little hard cause Duo's being a white boy with two left feet. . ." Rachel commented, giving Duo a side glance.

"Hey! You're just not dancing the way I'm used to!" Duo complained.

"I know how to salsa, it's not that hard." Trowa commented quietly. Everyone stared at him and Rachel smiled, saying, "Really? I didn't know that! You never dance on the show!"

"Catherine taught me a while ago for some class she was taking cause she needed a partner." Trowa said shyly, feeling uncomfortable under the gazes of all the pilots. Rachel walked over to him and said, "Then let's show the others how it's done, you up to it?" Duo looked shocked by how she was acting and Trowa looked unsure.

"Um, I don't know. . ." He stepped back a little.

"Awe, come on, just one dance!" She grabbed his hand before he could protest and she pulled him to the center of the deck, stopping as she said, "Um. . .I like this song, has a good beat to dance to!" Suddenly, the song changed out of nowhere and music began to play.

"Where is that coming from?" Trowa looked around as an invisible band played.

"It's playing on the wind. . .now, let's dance!" Rachel said. He nodded and placed his hand on her hip, taking her hand in his as she put her hand on his shoulder. They stepped to the beat, back and forth, one. . .two. . .cha cha cha, three. . .four. . .cha cha cha. Everyone looked on in amazement as they sped up with the music to step in time with it, spinning and moving in quick steps around each other. Duo was particularly glued to Rachel's oscillating, gyrating hips, swinging freely from her still torso. He tried not to drool. They kept up the beat through the whole song till the slowing ending, slowly stepping into a low dip as the song stopped. Trowa brought her back up as the group clapped in awe of their hidden talents, forgetting for a moment about previous incidents. Trowa looked into Rachel's eyes in surprise, slightly breathing hard as he said, "That was amazing, you dance better than Catherine does. Did you take classes?"

"One." She said with a grin.

"One! You can't be serious! With moves like that. . .no way!" Duo stammered as he walked up. Trowa let go of her and stepped back, trying to sneak back into the shadows. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back, saying, "Wait, we gotta teach the others! Come on, please?" He sighed and said, "Okay. . ." Relena and Heero stepped forward-well, Relena dragged Heero with her-and they joined the "class". She showed them some simple steps as they began to dance. Trowa danced with Quatre as a girl and felt a little awkward as he explained that Quatre didn't have to swivel his hips like the girls.

"But it's fun!" Quatre said, cheerfully getting into the groove.

"But it's gay. . ." Chang commented with his arms crossed.

"You're just jealous cause you can't move like this." Quatre said, shaking his hip at him. Chang's eye twitched as he said, "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet your booty!" Suddenly, Chang jumped down and whammed Quatre with his hip, sending him flying.

"WAH! That's not what I meant!" Quatre complained from the sprawl he assumed on the deck. Everyone burst out laughing and Rachel tried to stifle a snicker at her friend's misfortune. Chang proudly stuck his nose in the air, saying, "I win. And you have a bony hip, you know that?" Rubbing his side, Chang walked back over to his spot against the railing, crossing his arms again. As they danced on together, Duo got into the beat and danced better, dipping Rachel a lot with laughs and chuckles from both dancers. Heero surprised everyone with his ability to dance as he swept Relena off her feet. . .literally. Trowa and Quatre danced together, Quatre finally got control over his happy hips and danced like a man. Chang just watched and poked fun at Quatre's butt that had a tendency to stick out when he danced, making him blush. They danced on as the moon set over the tree tops and the darkness reigned over the night, leaving holes in the sky to light the midnight party.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing…that's all.

Chapter 24

"Hey Rach, wake up!" Rachel woke to Duo's gentle shaking, sleepily saying, "Huh? What?"

"We were going to check out this battle wave coming this way, we think they're coming for Relena but we're not sure. Heero doesn't want to take any chances and wants you to stay here with Chang and Relena to protect her while we're gone."

"You're taking Trowa with you?" Rachel sat up, a little surprised.

"Yeah, Heero insisted upon it. I'd rather ditch him in the forest." Duo grumbled.

"Duo, I've forgiven him, he didn't really mean to hurt me or anything. . ."

"What? Are you sick or something, were you not there!" Duo put his hand to her forehead. She smacked it away, saying, "Duo, stop it! Just leave him alone, he's not a bad guy!"

"Geez, Rachel, you're defending him now! What, don't tell me he threatened you to shutup about it!"

"No! Look, just stop being such a macho big shot all the time like I can't take care of myself! I settled things with him, end of story." She got up and walked toward the door to take the discussion outside since Relena was still asleep and she didn't want to wake her. Duo followed her and stopped her outside the door by grabbing her arm.

"Is that how you really feel about me! Just some egotistical, overprotective idiot? Go ahead, say it, you're sick of me! It won't be the first time I've heard it!" Duo yelled at her. She screamed in fury, slapping him hard on the cheek.

"How DARE you! I'm tired of your pathetic obsession over being so inferior to everyone and thinking I'm going to just dump you for the next pretty face! Why can't you just accept that I love you and not have to question my motives! I LOVE YOU, YOU FREAKIN' BAKA!" She turned and ran from him, heading for one of the rope ladders, quickly jumping down and climbing to the ground. Duo stared blankly after her, gently touching his red cheek in pain. Quatre and Heero came running out after hearing the uproar and said, "What happened!" Duo fell to his knees suddenly, a horrified look on his face as he said, looking a little spaced out, "She. . .she called me a freakin' baka. . ."

"three words of sentiment and an insult in the same sentence, didn't think I'd hear that. . ." Chang said as he walked up.

"What did you say to her?" Quatre asked, a little confused by the overnight change in moods.

"Is she P.M.S.ing or something? Maybe that's why she bought those things. . ." Heero wondered.

"No. . .it's cause I'm an idiot." Everyone looked down at Duo who was staring at the floorboards, tears falling from his hot cheeks, red with shame and embarrassment.

"What are you talking about?" Quatre asked.

"I don't trust her. . .this stupid war's corrupted me into thinking everyone will stab me in the back someday! And. . .and. . .I have no self esteem. . .I don't think I'm good enough for her and I'm not enough to keep her by my side, like she'll get bored of me one of these days."

"You're a pathetic sight, you know that? Have you no pride!" Chang said, crossing his arms.

"No, I don't! I don't have anything to be proud of, all I do is bring death and devastation to this world. Everything I touch dies eventually. . .Father Maxwell, Sister Helen. . .all the OZ soldiers that had no idea what this war is truly about. . .innocent people killed in the crossfire!" Duo screamed out the last lines as his tears poured out, his hatred toward himself building inside as he balled up his fists and hit the floor. Chang stepped forward and slapped Duo's face, knocking him over a little with the power of the hit. Duo looked up at him in shock as Chang glared down at him.

"Duo Maxwell, get off your knees, this isn't the end of the world! You act as if she hates you and wants you dead, which I hardly think is the case! She loves you, whether you deserve to be loved by her or not, she still has hope in you. Are you going to let her down just because you're not willing to gather some backbone and stop crying about every little problem you happen across? If you truly love her, you'd stop acting like this! I was once to be wed to a brilliant and spirited young girl. She wasn't like all the other princesses, she was a strong girl, the strongest of her clan and I was too stuck up to realize how strong she really was. She believed so much in justice and I could have cared less until OZ came to my field one day. She took off in the Shenlong Gundam, trying to fight off OZ because she believed she was the living reincarnation of Nataku. I tried to stop her but I was too late, she was badly injured from her determination to keep my little field of flowers and grass safe. I took her back to that field and she told me how happy she was to be with me, just before she died in my arms. I never told her how I really felt about her because I was too self-absorbed and arrogant, because I thought I was better than her, she wasn't good enough for me! But I realized that I was truly the one unworthy of her love and devotion, that I was the fool in that battle, not her. My heart has carried on that battle for justice in her honor, for that is all I can do for her now, I let her down. Will you make the same mistake that I did and let that girl that loves your idiocies regardless of anything you do run away from you, possibly forever? If you dare say yes, then I think there is no justice left in this world." Everyone stared in surprise at Chang.

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Was that. . .Chang saying that! Duo stared at him.

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He was engaged? I never would have guessed. . .Quatre thought.

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Relena's right. . .there is more to people than what appears on the surface. Heero thought as he watched Duo stand up, wiping away his tears.

"You're. . .you're right, Chang. I need to grow up and face facts, life doesn't just stop because you don't feel like facing it today. But what if Rachel-"

"Don't count on her hating you. If she can forgive all of us here for things we have done or said then she can forgive anything you throw at her. Stop doubting yourself, be a man for goodness sakes! I'm ashamed to call you a man, cause I'd be insulting myself. . ."

"Thanks. . .I guess. . ." Duo said.

"Well we don't have much time for this, we need to head to that battle wave before it gets any closer to us. Duo, you stay here and keep Relena and Rachel safe, Chang will replace you. Let's go." Heero stated, walking toward the elevator with Quatre in tow.

"But wait, I-" Duo tried to complain.

"What do you want more, a girlfriend or a part in the mission?" Chang said, giving him a stern glare. Duo shut his mouth and looked at the floor, feeling ashamed. Trowa quietly walked past Duo and paused, looking back at him. He stepped up to him and Duo looked up, slight resent in his eyes for not punching him earlier.

"Duo, please go after her, don't hurt her. I've hurt her enough. . ." He looked away and started to walk away. Duo suddenly looked up at the group and yelled, "Wait!"

"What now. . ." Heero looked annoyed. Duo ran up to them and said, "I want to come."

"Maxwell!" Chang sounded furious.

"No, listen to me, Rachel needs time to cool off, she even told me that one time. If I go after her now she'll only yell at me more and never listen to me. Chang, please believe me, it's better this way, please stay." Chang sighed and stepped out of the elevator, saying, "You better know what you're talking about, baka, or else. . ."

"Trust me, I'll make it up to her later. Right now she needs to spend some time alone and with her friends." Chang looked surprised and said, "Me?"

"And Relena, you two can talk to her and chill her for me."

"I don't think I'm exactly-"

"It doesn't matter, we have to go, now! Watch Relena for me, Wufei." Heero said, untying the rope and lowering them to the ground. Chang watched them get down safely before walking over to the railing to wait for Rachel to return.

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That idiot better be smarter than he gives off. . .Chang thought as he stared at the dim horizon, pale blue but still a bit black. He saw a distance star and watched it fade into the sky.

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That idiotic, self-absorbed, no good, jealous. . .Rachel furiously stalked through the forest, fuming and cursing Duo's name in her mind as she stomped along. She spotted a rock and remembered last time.

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How ironic, it's me stalking off this time and I'm not even looking for anything but some peace and quiet to think. . .maybe I'll take a break. She climbed onto the rock and sat down, a view of the horizon from the boulder. She spotted a twinkling star still visible in the sky, slowly fading into the dawn. She closed her eyes and wished on it.

__

Star light, star bright. . .oh, who am I kidding. All that star is is a ball of gas and fire burning billions of miles away, nothing special. She opened her eyes and saw the star still shining bright. She sighed and thought, _Maybe it's God watching me. . .maybe it's His way of saying I need to pray about this. . .well, in any case, I do need to have a little chat with my Father. . ._ She closed her eyes, praying about the burning feeling in her heart that kept her fury alive. She looked up longingly at the sky, wanting to just drift off and dance in the clouds, free from the world around her, no boundaries holding her back but her own energy. She closed her eyes again, imagining just soaring off the ground, her wings of freedom carrying her away. Suddenly, she felt light, as if her heart had let out a tremendous sigh and freed her spirit from the chains of sorrow binding it to the ground. She sighed herself and smiled, feeling the breeze on her cheek rustling through her hair. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes slowly, looking up to see the sky. But when she looked down she saw the forest, not the rock. Blinking, she suddenly realized her thoughts had become reality, wings stretched out from her back, carrying her across the treetops swiftly like a bird. She glanced around, trying to get an idea of where she had drifted to. Looking back, she saw the stand of trees where they were staying. She decided to turn back when she saw the planes take , but only two of them.

__

Duo must be with them right now. . .I hope he's happy. . .She growled to herself, frowning. Her anger soon lapsed into a sad sigh as she sulked back over to the camp.

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Might as well see who's still around. Rachel thought as she returned, her wings gently flapping through the air.

__

Huh? Did I just see Rachel flying? I could have swore I saw her. . .with wings. . .Duo thought as he looked out the window sadly. He sighed and leaned back in his seat, looking at his lap with a long face.

"Cheer up, Duo, she'll forgive you." Trowa said quietly. Duo looked over at him, his eyes still sagging sadly.

"I don't know why I am so pathetic around her, I thought I understood women." Duo said.

"There's your problem."

"Huh?" Duo looked a bit surprised.

"She's not a woman, she's a girl; innocent and pure at heart in almost every way."

"Almost?"

"I can see it in her eyes, she doesn't think such innocent thoughts. Though she doesn't want to admit it, she's not as good as she seems. I'm not disrespecting her, it's actually a good thing."

"How do you figure that?"

"She's not naïve. I figured out the difference between her and Relena, it's in their minds. Relena thinks of peace too often, it makes her naïve with her hopes and dreams of a better future, she doesn't see the big picture yet. But Rachel does, she can see the pain, see the anger that lies in all of our hearts. She's special, capable of seeing things that some of us would rather deny the presence of or don't even realize are there. She knew how Heero felt about Relena and vise versa, and she saw through Heero and that takes a strong person or just a very careful eye since he hides his feelings so that sometimes he doesn't even see them."

"Wow, and is that what they talked about?"

"What do you think they did when they went for supplies?"

"Hmm." He thought about it.

"She also knew how I felt about people, she saw through my mask into my heart, and I didn't like it."

"Is that why you attacked her?"

"No. There's a reason for that but I don't think I can discuss it right now, maybe later when I'm not so afraid of it." Duo looked curious but let it go. Trowa continued.

"Besides, I'm not good with expressing my feelings. I never learned what it meant to love or be loved. I barely got a glimpse of true love long ago but it faded too fast for me to understand it, so I don't think I could ever fall in love with someone."

"Ah, you just need to find the right girl, you'll get married and have tons of kids that run around you and tug at your pants all day, you'll see. . ." Trowa cocked an eyebrow and said, "I've never even been around children before, so how do you figure that?"

"You have this gentle way about you that I've noticed. The way you carried Rachel was a sure sign that you can feel at least something." Trowa nodded in agreement.

"I did feel my heart pounding when I picked her up, I didn't understand why I felt so compelled and responsible. I think it might have just been payback for her saving me earlier, but I don't know. . ."

"Well, whatever. Just make sure the girl for you isn't my girl." Duo winked. Trowa finally cracked a smile as he said, "She is cute. . .but I don't think so."

"Hmm? What, what's wrong with her?" Duo said, feeling slightly insulted and jealous at the same time.

"Nothing, she's perfect for you. I just couldn't be with someone who could read my every mood, that's all. I like my privacy. . ."

"Yeah, Mr. Strong and silent type. . ." Duo grinned. He glanced over at him and said, "You're not mad at me for what happened?"

"Eh, I can't be. I was already yelled at for being so jealous and 'over protective' of her." Duo said, forming quotation marks with his fingers mockingly.

"You can't help it, she's a beautiful girl in a world too big for her shoes, she could get hurt if she's not careful."

"I know, but I can't seem to get her to understand that. It's not that I'm jealous and I think I'm not enough for her, I mean yeah that's part of it, but she's. . .so special. I don't want someone to take her away, against her will. Those powers of hers are gonna get her in trouble and I want to be the one to save her, not some other guy. You get what I'm saying?" Trowa nodded and said, "You love her."

"Yeah, exactly. . .love makes ya do crazy things that even you might not understand, but ya still do it. Like singing loves songs. . ." Duo remembered his song for her, grinning.

"Hmm." Trowa looked thoughtfully out the window at this comment. Duo looked over at him and smiled, saying, "Hey, you know, you're really talkative! I thought I was the motor mouth around here but you're pretty chatty yourself." Trowa looked over in surprise and said, "You're right. Normally I don't talk at all, I wonder why I seem to be so. . ."

"Well voiced?" Duo winked. Trowa nodded and sighed, saying, "See, it's all your girlfriend's fault. She brought me out of my shell." Duo laughed.

"That's right, blame it on the girl. . ." They glanced at each other with mischievous eyes and burst out laughing.

"So Heero, do you think it's a good idea to leave Duo and Trowa alone in that plane together?" Quatre asked, looking worriedly at the radar as the blip of the other plane floated behind them. Heero didn't take his eyes off the sky as he said, "Don't worry, they're mature enough to keep their immaturity inside while in flight." Quatre didn't seem convinced but he showed his agreement with a sigh.

"Yeah, I guess so. But this is Duo we're talking about here. . ." Heero just grunted. They remained silent for a few minutes. Quatre glanced over at Heero and said, "Um, so. . .you and Relena are. . ."

"Yes?" Heero glanced back at him. Quatre looked at his lap as he smiled. Heero frowned and said, "Why the dumb smile?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking. . .how much of a fuse you made over nothing going on between you two and now you walk around holding her hand like a giddy schoolboy. Not that that's bad, I think it's kind of cute."

"Cute?" Heero didn't seem to agree.

"Well. . .yes?" Quatre asked, looking afraid for his life.

"Why are you asking me, it's your opinion." Heero grunted.

"I just don't want to get killed. . ." Heero looked over at him and said, "Are you afraid of me?"

"No. . .just what you might do if I tick you off." Heero blinked and said, "Really. . ."

"You do give people the death glare a lot, you should paten that thing. . ." Quatre joked. Heero looked back at the sky, saying, "I guess I do lose my temper. . ."

"Frequently?" Quatre added timidly.

"I guess so. Am I really that. . ."

"Touchy?" Quatre finished for him.

"Why don't you talk for me, Quatre, you seem to know what I should say." Heero looked annoyed.

"Nice example of 'losing your temper', Heero." Quatre pointed out. Heero sighed and said dully, "Sorry."

"It's okay, I guess I know you mean well. . .after all, you haven't killed me in my sleep yet."

"The key word being 'yet', huh?" Quatre laughed dismally and said, "Uh yeah. . ."

"Hmm. . ." Heero, deep in thought, stared blankly at the clouds floating by them, his normal stern look on his face. Quatre looked sadly at him and asked in a quiet voice, "Can't you ever look happy?" Heero looked over at Quatre suddenly and said, sounding confused, "What do you mean? When I'm around Relena? I thought I did. . ."

"I didn't say anything about Relena. . .I meant just in general, you always look depressed or ticked." Quatre answered, turning his chair to face Heero seriously.

"I never noticed. . .always?" Heero said, sounding serious as well.

"Even when you're somewhat happy you still look less than thrilled to be alive."

"That's not true. . .I smiled at dinner last night. . ." Heero said in his defense.

"That's right, you did, and you laughed." Quatre said, remembering the brief happy expression on Heero's face, "But it was only for a moment before you sunk back into your morbid stare when Trowa came."

"I'm still upset with him, I thought he was better than that."

"I don't know the whole situation but she seems to. . .so if she says it's okay to be friends with him again, I'll trust her judgement."

"Hmm." Heero looked down at the steering wheel. He sighed and rubbed his finger boredly over the rim, watching it trace over the black plastic slowly. Quatre watched him and smiled, saying, "You're thinking of Relena, aren't you."

"Maybe. . ." Heero said, not showing the giddy feeling he was feeling as images of his love floated through his mind. He finally smiled and said, "It feels. . .good."

"What does?" Quatre asked in a wondering tone. Heero looked up at him and said, "Being in love."

"Oh. . ." Quatre said with a chuckle.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, I don't know where you'd get an idea that I do…. And yes, the time line has changed so don't fuse at me if things happen differently now…artistic license in hand

Chapter 25

"Chang? Where'd everyone go?" Relena asked as she sleepily walked out of her hut, stretching and yawning. Chang glanced over at her and said, "They've left to check something out, they think it could endanger your life."

"My life?" Relena looked surprised, yet confused in her tired state. Chang jumped down from the railing and said, "They will be back soon."

"So it's just you and me?"

"No, Rachel's somewhere. She got mad at Duo and ran off. . ." He looked up and saw a white shimmer in the sky.

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Huh? What was that? Did I see an. . .angel? Chang thought as he stared at the blue horizon.

"Oh." Relena followed his gaze and saw a flash of white. She gasped.

"You saw it too?" Chang asked, glancing at her over his shoulder. She nodded, inching closer to him.

"Is it a mobile suit?" Relena whispered. He slowly shook his head but stopped when he saw another flash in the sky colliding with the first. His eyes widened and he said, "Maybe it is. . .this isn't good. But I can't tell if there's more than one from here." He ran to the end of the encampment and jumped up onto the railing, leaning a hand against the last hut's roof as he strained his sight to catch a glance at the feuding sparks. Relena came up behind him and said, "Can you see it?"

"Them, there's two out there and they don't seem to like each other. Could be Heero since his Gundam can fly. . ." Relena held her hands against her chest as her heart pounded, worried for Heero's life.

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Oh please let it not be Heero. . .Relena prayed silently in her mind, hoping someone would hear her cries.

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I can feel a disturbance coming this way. . .from behind. Rachel's eyes lit up and she looked over her shoulder to see a brief glimpse of white metal before it slammed into her. She went rolling down its side and tumbled to the forest below, losing control of her flight. As she fell, she finally got a glance of what hit her.

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Tallgeese. . .Zechs found us, but how? She thought, trying to recover from the hit. The Mobile suit stopped and turned back to see what it had collided with on its direct trajectory to the camp. She rose back to meet the suit's gaze, her wing span full out at her sides, stretching from tip to tip half as long as the suit, white and pure as fresh snow. She stared down the Tallgeese, saying, "So, you think you're going to go after Relena, well think again." Using her powers, she produced a sword in her hands 6 feet in length and an inch and a half wide, its braided ivory and gold hilt tightly grasped in her hands, its sheath hanging from her back by a strap crisscrossed over her torso. She assumed a fighting stance and yelled, "Milliardo, fight me!"

"Who in the world. . .Relena's guardian angel?" Zechs thought, staring at the winged form challenging his mobile suit. He turned on outside communications and shouted, "My mission doesn't involve your demise, concede and allow me to pass!"

"You will never get by me, you cannot have your sister!" She yelled back. Zechs stared wide-eyed at the girl, thinking, _She knows. . .but. . .how's that possible! Only Treize knows my true identity and yet still he doesn't even know of my relation to Relena. . ._

"Come now, you're not going to back down from a battle with me, are you? Or are you afraid I'll scratch your precious Mobile suit?" Rachel taunted, floating directly in his path to keep him from charging on. She pointed her sword at him like a lance, ready to thrust it forward through the suit's body. He bowed to meet her stance and said, "I don't know who you are but you're in my way, stand aside, this is my last warning."

"You do know me but all I am to your mind is a phantom memory. . ." He stared hard at her, trying to recall her. A faint memory of a female's figure flashed through his mind but it hurt to dwell on it too much. He cringed and said, "I think I remember you but it's too painful to think of it, so you'll have to remind me."

"Just call me Verein, the phantom knight for that is all I will be to those who oppose me, a mere flicker of a fantasy that has brought you to your knees. . ."

"Such clever talk for a young harpy like yourself. . .but it's an unfair duel, you do not possess a mobile suit to match my advantage."

"I have the advantage, just stop talking and come get some." Rachel said, curling her finger to him with a sly grin.

"you're nothing but a girl."

"Bite me." She lunged forward with her sword, but the suit was faster. He zipped up and over her, passing her by and heading straight for the camp.

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INJUSTICE! Woah, I've been hanging out with Chang too much. . .Rachel growled and darted after him, trying to gain speed and pass him over to stop his advance.

"Chang, it's coming this way!" Relena shrieked, stepping back a bit. Chang saw this and jumped down, grabbing Relena's arm.

"Run!" Chang yelled, pushing her to head for the far side of the camp, but it was too late. The Tallgeese ripped into the forest and reached forward to grab Relena.

"CHANG!" Relena screamed, being pushed down to the floor by Chang and the strong gusts from Tallgeese's jetpacks.

"AH!" Chang yelled as Tallgeese grabbed him, pulling him back in its tight grip to dangle over the ground 100 feet below. He desperately writhed, screaming in pain as his body was slowly crushed in Tallgeese's hand. Suddenly with a flash of light, the hand was severed at the wrist, causing it to loosen its grip and plummet to the ground. Chang struggled to get free as the ground grew closer when suddenly, something grabbed his arm and wrenched him out just in time. He looked up and his wide eyes got wider.

"Rachel!" Chang said in surprise. She dropped him off on the deck and sped over to Relena who was cowering under the shadow of Tallgeese's other hand reaching for her. Rachel zipped under the hand and sliced off its fingers before it had the chance of grabbing anyone. It drew back suddenly and sharply swatted Rachel away, tossing her into the floor boards to tumble and slide rapidly into the end of the railing, busting through it and desperately grabbing onto the edge for dear life as her sword fell to the ground.

"Rachel, NO!" Relena screamed, her hand stretched out to her friend. She looked back at the mobile suit as it rested its maimed hand on the railing. The cockpit door opened and out popped Zechs, his cape flapping in the breeze as he dashed down the arm and jumped down in front of Relena. She screamed as he grabbed her, pulling her to her feet and saying, "Come with me." She fought to get away but he was too strong. Chang tried desperately to get up but his leg had been broken, causing him great pain as he scrambled to his feet, pulling himself up by the railing and wobbling.

"Relena. . .no, stop. . ." Chang muttered, painfully limping to the screaming girl. Zechs pulled her up onto the arm and lifted her in the air, dashing back across to the cockpit. Rachel finally managed to pull herself up as Zechs was almost to the open door.

"NO!" Rachel screamed, throwing her hand up. An explosion of energy flew from her palm and broke through the railing, slamming into the mobile suit and forcing it off balance. Zechs lost his footing as the suit fell backwards. Stumbling to her feet, Rachel leapt off the deck and soared over to Zechs and Relena, grabbing Zechs' hand. She tried to regain altitude but the weight and wind caused her right wing to crack in the middle. With a shriek, Rachel fell toward the ground, desperately trying to level out before they crashed. Chang watched hopelessly as they somewhat gently landed, Zechs shielding Relena's body from the crash as he tumbled across the ground with Rachel's body in the mix. They stopped in a heap below Chang and he quickly stumbled toward the elevator, stepping in and lowering it to the ground.

"Ughh. . ." Zechs moaned as he tried to get up but cried out in pain as his back sharply seized up. Relena pushed herself free of his arms and wobbled to her feet momentarily before falling back to the ground.

"Relena, Rachel, are you alright!" Chang slowly made his way over to them, trying to stay upright as his leg pounded, causing him much agony. He finally fell at Rachel's side and touched her still back, seeing her bloody wing laying limply at her side, tattered and broken. Feathers slowly drifted down with the wind, landing around the group and softly caressing them as they brushed past them to the ground. Relena gazed over at Rachel as she muttered, "Chang, is she. . .okay?"

"She's not moving." He rolled her over to see her eyes staring back at him blankly, dirt smeared all over her face and body, mixing with the blood slowly oozing from cuts and scrapes caused by the not so smooth landing. She gasped with a raspy and painful breath, drawing in air desperately.

"Ch-Cha. . .ng. . ." she uttered, not even blinking as he picked her up in his arms.

"Don't talk." He whispered, standing and ignoring the sharp pain from his leg as he said, "Relena, can you stand?" She nodded, trying to stand again. She wobbled a bit as she stumbled toward him but fell halfway with a painful moan.

"Relena, I'm. . .I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to. . .get hurt. . ." Zechs stammered, his eyes hidden under his mask that looked slightly cracked. Hanging limply in Chang's arms, Rachel's head fell to the side, staring blankly at Relena, her lips slowly moving in an attempt to form words.

"B. . .brea. . .k. . .h. . .is. . .m. . .ma. . .sk. . ." Rachel muttered slowly, fighting to stay conscious as blood dripped from her dangling wing. Relena stared up at her weakly and said, "What? Why?"

"Just. . .d. . .do. . .i. . .t. . ." Her vision began to blur as blood ran down her forehead from a gash hidden beneath her hair and trickled onto her eye. Relena looked around for something to crush it with but couldn't find anything so she reached to pull it off.

"No. . ." Zechs tried to stop her but couldn't move. She slowly eased it off his head and stared at his shimmering eyes, cold and icy like the color they were, sharp as the pain in his back. They locked gazes and stared at each other in silence for a few minutes.

__

His eyes. . .so. . .vaguely familiar. . .Relena thought as she stared at him curiously, his striking good looks a surprise for such a soldier of great battle experience, no signs of scars or any blemishes on his face.

__

She doesn't remember me. . .good. She's grown up so much. . .as beautiful as her mother was. . .Zechs thought as his eyes tighten in agony, causing Relena to look worried by his horrid physical condition. He moaned and said in his deep voice, lower than usual, "Don't. . ."

"R. . .Relen. . .a. . ." Relena broke her gaze with Zechs and looked up at Rachel, nodding. Zechs twitched as Relena raised up the mask in her hands, bringing it down hard on the ground. With an ear piercing shatter, the mask cracked into several pieces and cut Relena's hand.

"AH!" Relena yelped in pain, clutching her hand in her lap as she winced, gritting her teeth.

"No. . ." Zechs gasped in hopelessness, finally twitching once more before passing out. Chang wobbled a bit and decided he couldn't make it up to camp alone with three injured people in the condition his leg was in. He gently laid Rachel back down and stumbled toward the fallen Mobile suit.

"Chang, where are you-" Relena watched him climb into the cockpit and start fiddling around inside. Blinking she stared after him for a minute before looking back down at the man beside her and watching his face relax to a blank expression, almost looking at peace.

__

So. . .who are you. . .you seem so familiar. . .like, we've met on a similar occasion like this. Except, you were there to. . .protect me? Wait. . .I do remember you. Your hair is longer now. . .She gently stroked aside some of his bangs as she stared intently at him.

"Y. . .you remember. . .him. . ." Rachel looked over weakly as she smiled, a faint bit of strange joy on her lips.

"I think so. . .a long time ago when I was younger a man attacked me, using me as a human shield. But. . .this man saved me, scaring off my attacker before smiling at me and walking away. He was so. . .poetic." Her expression softened as she said, "Do you know who he is, Rachel?"

"Yes. . ." Rachel barely got out. Relena looked at her, saying, "Does he have a real name? Or is he like my Heero, a soul with a stolen identity?"

"He does. . .M. . .illiar. . .do. . .Pea. . .ce. . .crafffft. . ." She finally closed her eyes as the loss of blood was too much. As she passed out, the wings vanished from her back, leaving the wound on her shoulder instead. Relena gasped, suddenly staring down at him.

__

My. . .brother! So I'm not alone. . .Relena felt a tear slide down her cheek, whether in joy or fear she couldn't tell past her pounding heart.

"Heero, the comlink is flashing." Quatre announced, leaning toward the button.

"Who's it from?" Heero asked.

"An unknown source, should I answer it?" Heero thought for a moment before saying, "Let me do the talking." Quatre nodded and pressed the button, allowing the caller to speak.

Whoever's in this plane, this is Chang, we have a problem. Came the familiar Chinese voice, except a little angst ridden. Heero and Quatre looked at each other before Heero nodded for Quatre to speak.

"This is Quatre, Heero's with me. What seems to be the trouble?" Quatre asked.

We've been attacked by surprise, a lone fighter in a white mobile suit, looks somewhat like a Leo but resembles a Gundam more except for being built from Titanium. The pilot's unconscious at the moment but we're all injured, I'm not sure to what degree.

"How bad is everyone hurt?" Heero asked, thinking about Relena.

Rachel's the worst case I think, she has a broken wing and cuts and bruises everywhere, bleeding badly.

"Wing?" Quatre sounded confused.

Nevermind. I don't know if she'll be okay. I broke my leg when I tried to get Relena to safety so I can't take care of all of them alone, I'm bleeding everywhere. . . Chang sounded annoyed more than in pain by that last comment.

"And Relena?"

She can't seem to stand but she's quite awake, the officer broke her fall with his back. Quatre cringed inside and asked, "Do you suppose he's. . .dead?"

No, he didn't look that bad. I need backup, if you don't mind.

"I'll send Trowa and Duo back to help you, they'll be there soon. Heero out." Quatre ended the transmission and contacted Duo.

Yeah, this is Duo. . . Duo said calmly.

"Duo, we need you guys to head back to camp, apparently there's been an unexpected attack and everyone's been hurt, Rachel most of all." Quatre said sadly.

What? Oh great, okay, we're going! Duo out! Duo cut the connection quickly and the plane swerved, turning back to return to the encampment.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, don't sue me, and no this has no Yaoi, there's nothing like that in the story so don't get any wrong ideas about anything going on. . .

Chapter 26

"Duo and Trowa are coming back to help, are you alright, Relena?" Chang stumbled a bit as he knelt by her. She looked down at his right calf and saw the broken bone sticking out a bit from the torn skin, causing her to become a bit nauseous.

"Oh Chang, your leg looks horrible! How can you still walk!" Relena covered her mouth as she looked away. He looked down at it and said quietly, "It's nothing, I'm fine. I would have just done all this on my own but I knew the way my leg was bleeding I wouldn't make it, so I had to ask for help."

"What do you mean? You. . .don't want help?" Relena looked up at him. He blinked and diverted his eyes to look at Zechs.

"Not really. . ." He answered quietly.

"Why?"

"I'm strong, I can handle things without people's help. Like I would have finished off those mobile suits if Rachel hadn't done it for me." Chang growled under his breath.

"Pardon?" Relena asked, somewhat confused by the contemptish remark Chang made.

"Nevermind, you weren't there. Oh, I'm sure Heero would want me to ask for him; are you hurt?" Chang changed the subject. She looked down and said, "My legs keep giving out on me, I'm not sure why. . .I feel a sharp pain in my ankle too." Chang waved for her to show him and she slowly brought her left foot forward, allowing Chang to take it. He gently felt it and she moaned.

"It's broken. You should stay off of it for the time being, Rachel can mend it later."

"Rachel? Are you mad, she's in no condition! She's barely breathing and you already have her playing nurse? What nerve you have. . ." Relena said angrily. He blinked in surprise and said, "Nerve? She has talents, and I hardly think we should let them go to waste-"

"Nothing's being wasted, Chang. She's a person, not a phone card that you have to use the minutes up on before it expires! Doesn't your honor code come with any respect for others!" He stared at her at this comment, curious at how much power she seemed to have hidden inside to point out such mistakes he could make. He bowed his head and said, "You are right, I was not thinking. How could I be so selfish, not thinking of her feelings."

"In case you didn't notice she's still bleeding and if someone doesn't do something she may die!" Relena stated, pointing to the small pool of blood forming by Rachel. Chang limped over and pulled off his shirt, ripping it into strips and using them to bandage Rachel's shoulder and stop the bleeding. He sat down in exhaustion and took a deep breath, trying to relax and ignore the nagging pain in his leg. Relena was about to make a comment when she heard plane engines and looked up to see Trowa and Duo coming to their aid.

"They're here, good." Relena said with a weak smile, relaxing while they waited for them to make their way over to them. Several quiet minutes later, Duo and Trowa came running over to them with worried faces.

"What the heck happened!" Duo yelled when he saw Rachel's deteriorated condition, the blood puddling around her pale and battered body. He fell to his knees by her side, his black pants soaking up the blood and giving them a reddish tint, but he didn't care. He lifted her limp head in his hands and said, "Chang, what happened. . .why's she like this?"

"She tried to rescue Relena and that man there from falling to their deaths but her wing broke and they crash landed, Rachel and him getting the brunt of the damage." Chang said. Duo looked desperate, looking from his fallen angel to the man to Relena and back again, shocked by how much had happened the brief minutes they were gone.

"How the heck did this guy get past our planes without us noticing him!" Duo asked angrily.

"His suit was extremely fast, he could have snuck around you before your radar could register his presence."

"I don't care, this shouldn't have happened. . ." Duo furiously looked at Zechs and pulled out his gun, saying, "I oughta kill him. . ."

"NO! You can't!" Relena shrieked, throwing up her hands with a fearful look on her face.

"Why the heck not!"

"Because, he's my brother!" They all stared blankly at her, mostly in shock by this information.

"Brother? You have a brother?" Trowa asked.

"Apparently; Rachel told me before she passed out. She ordered me to destroy his mask for some reason too, I don't understand why. . ." Relena commented, looking down at the shattered pieces of metal on the ground, then hugged her wounded hand against herself. Trowa noticed her cut and looked it over to make sure it wasn't infected, bringing over a medical kit from the plane that he figured might be useful.

"Trowa, toss me some gauze, please. . .and alcohol wipes. . ." Duo said, looking up sadly. Trowa threw him the supplies and Duo went to work tending to Rachel's wounds, gently wiping the scraps and cuts clean with the alcohol pads before bandaging some of the more severe wounds. Chang's eyes sagged a bit as he began to softly swoon, placing a hand firmly against the ground to remain upright. Relena tapped Trowa's shoulder and pointed to Chang's leg, commenting that he was more important at the moment than her cut. He stood and strode over to Chang, kneeling by his leg and reaching for it. Chang glared at him and said, "What are you doing!"

"In case you haven't noticed half your fibula is sticking out. I was going to set it for you, unless you're afraid of the pain. . ." Trowa said calmly, looking up at Chang. For a hesitant moment Chang looked scared but it soon disappeared as he said boldly, "Of course I'm not, do it." Trowa nodded and gently took Chang's leg, looking up to make sure he was ready. Chang nodded and looked away. Relena felt her stomach churn as Trowa snapped the bone back in place, causing Chang to scream in sudden unbearable pain. Duo felt like throwing up as well as he closed his eyes, turning his head away.

__

I hate it when people do that. . .it creeps me out. . .Duo thought as he tried to finish patching Rachel up. Trowa gingerly bandaged Chang's leg and tied a brace to it to keep it straight, being sure to not cause Chang any more pain than he was already in, which was a lot.

"Trowa, should we move them?" Duo asked, looking down at Rachel's limp body and staring at his blood stained hands and clothes.

"I don't see why not. You may want some help with Rachel, just to be careful since she's so weak already." Trowa stated, looking over at her. Duo nodded and Trowa walked over to him, kneeling next to Rachel and gently placing his hands under her back. Duo did the same and they gently lifted her up and carried her toward the elevator. Chang slowly stood, hopping toward the elevator to join them. Relena watched them, wondering if she should wait or follow. Looking over his shoulder, Trowa said, "Should I help Relena over?" They set Rachel down and Duo nodded to him. Running back to Relena, Trowa offered her his hand and she took it, wobbling to her feet.

"Be careful, her ankle's broken." Chang shouted back to them.

"Can you stand alright or do you need to be carried?" Trowa asked gently, keeping her steady.

"I. . .I think I can stand, but I might need some help." Relena admitted. Trowa supported her left side and started to slowly walk. Looking back, Relena said, "Will you help Milliardo?" Trowa nodded and they walked to the elevator. The group reached the top and they carried Rachel into her hut, laying her carefully on the bed. Relena limped into the hut behind them, leaning against everything she could to get there with Chang soon to follow. As soon as it was safe, Trowa went back to drag Zechs upstairs too.

"We should get her to a hospital, she won't make it out here without a transfusion." Chang stated, slowly easing down onto Relena's bed beside her.

"She's strong, don't worry about her. . .if she gets any worse I suppose we'll have to. . .but we shouldn't move her for now." Duo said quietly, making sure that no more blood was coming out.

"She's so pale. . .should we cover her up since she's lost so much blood?" Relena asked.

"Huh?" Duo looked back at Relena.

"Your blood's what keeps you warm, moving through your body, she's going to get cold with what little blood she has left."

"You're right. . ." Duo gasped, pulling the sheets over Rachel's clammy body and keeping her warm as much as he could. Chang closed his eyes, trying to forget the pain in his leg as he said, "You should be good at keeping her warm by now. . .it seems to be all you do lately." Duo looked down, leaning his elbows on the bed and placing his hands on his forehead as he prayed in his mind, _God, please don't let her die. . .I don't know if you can hear me, but please. . .please. . .don't take her away from me._

"There's the army, we'll set down over there." Heero stated. Turning the plane, he headed for a quiet looking area a ways from the battle wave's outpost. They landed safely and got in their Gundams to investigate the scene. As they approached the settlement, they crouched in the shadows of some trees to watch the happenings of the fleet.

"There's hundreds of them, everywhere. . .Heero, this is not good." Quatre said, watching Mobile suits test fly and practice battling in the open field surrounding their base.

"We'll infiltrate the base on the south side, find out what's going on here from the inside. Follow me." Heero stalked quietly around to the southern corner of the building and parked his gundam, jumping out and waiting a moment for Quatre to follow suit. They dashed across the field to the building and snuck in while no one was watching, working into the air conditioning vents and making their way into the base. They stopped by a room filled with voices and listened in.

"Commander Treize, this is completely irrational! This battle wave idea is too dangerous and we could-"

"Mr. Korisama, I assure you, I have total control over my fleets. In this battle it has come to the point that we must take the necessary steps to eliminate the enemy, and this is the only way."

__

Treize. . .Heero thought, peeking through the slats in the vent to see who was in the room for him to kill. He saw a grown man in an OZ uniform sitting in a chair talking to a video screen, having a conference call with a group of politicians supporting him. He ran his hand through his neatly combed brown hair and said, "Don't worry about the civilians, they'll be dealt with as we see is proper."

"Proper! Your idea of proper is killing the lot of them!" Yelled another man on the screen.

"This is the last thing your organization needs right now, Khushrenada, we don't need more rebel fighters joining against you and stopping progress completely, if not destroying our armies!" The first man yelled.

"Calm down, senators, there's no need to panic. Leave it all to me, my best men are taking care of the situation very well. As we speak, my finest Lieutenant is out retrieving a valuable asset for our cause. Just sit back and relax, this will all be over soon."

__

That's what you think. Heero looked over at Quatre and pulled out his gun, motioning for him to do the same. They nodded to each other and Heero kicked the grate out, jumping down into the office and pointing his gun at Treize's head, saying, "Your vicious reign ends here, Treize." The senators all gasped as Heero appeared, watching on in amazement as Treize swiveled his chair around to meet Heero's cold hard gaze. With a confident and calm smile, Treize said, "Hello, did someone let you in?"

"We let ourselves in." Quatre said, keeping a watch out for guards in case they were ambushed.

"Your plan has been sabotaged, that soldier you sent has been apprehended and is now in our hands as a prisoner of war. Too bad." Heero snapped.

"How can you so completely underestimate the intelligence of my men? Do you honestly think I'd send someone incompetent if I wanted to get the job done? Really. . ." Treize seemed amused by their threats to his plans.

"And you underestimate us, he has been captured and the mobile suit is now ours." Treize frowned and said, "Are you sure about that? Because my Lieutenant would never let me down, even if the stakes cost him his life."

"They did, he's most likely dead by now. You'll never win, not when we have a secret weapon none of you could ever compare to. But I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. Time for you to die." Heero started to pull the trigger when Treize said coldly, "I think not." The door suddenly caved in and soldiers burst into the room, guns drawn and trained on the two intruders. Treize smiled again and turned to the video screen, saying, "These two young men represent a force against us and shall be the first to die by the hands of my mighty army."

"Let's see your mighty army eat this." Heero commented. Like lightning, he shot down the guards in one clean sweep, ducking and rolling out of the way as they tried to stop him. Treize pulled out a gun and shot Quatre in the arm, causing the boy to scream in pain. Heero glanced at him in surprise and lost his gun, being kicked in the hand by Treize. He looked back as Treize stood over him, his sword drawn and at Heero's throat.

"You're a lively one, I admire your ambition." Treize said kindly.

"I have no ambitions, just my mission." Heero said, looking up into Treize's eyes.

"And what's that?"

"To keep her safe." Treize blinked and said, "Who?" Heero didn't respond. Doing a back flip, he kicked the sword out of Treize's hand and leapt at him, wrestling the gun from his hand.

"Quatre, run!" Heero shouted as bullets randomly discharged from the quarrel. With a nod, Quatre took off out of the room. Heero punched Treize in the face and hit his hand, knocking the gun free and picking it up. He didn't stop to kill the commander as he ran out after Quatre. With a moan, Treize stood up and pressed an alarm button on his desk.

"Pardon me, gentlemen, I have some business to take care of. We can continue this later." Treize said, composing himself before ending the transmission.

"He's set off the alarms, we have to move faster." Heero commented, looking up at the flashing red lights on the ceiling. Quatre grit his teeth as he held his arm, trying not to pass out from the pain. They ran quickly down the hallways and finally found a ventilation shaft, climbing inside to crawl the remainder of their journey.

"Quatre, you okay back there?" Heero looked over his shoulder at the boy a few paces behind him, trying to crawl on one arm.

"It's. . .a little difficult to do this with a bullet wound. . .but I think I'll make it. Go ahead, I'll find my way out." Quatre said, trying to smile in reassurance. Heero stopped in a large vent opening that split off in all directions except down. He waited for Quatre to catch up and whispered, "We can take a short rest, they won't figure out where we are for a few minutes."

"Okay." He stopped next to Heero and laid down on his stomach, letting his arm lay limp next to him as he huffed for air in exhaustion. Heero listened to the sounds around them for a moment before saying, "I think we're safe, just rest till you think you can start moving again." He looked down and saw that Quatre was starting to drift off to sleep. He put his hand on Quatre's shoulder and gently shook it, saying, "Don't fall asleep, I don't want to drag you the rest of the way." Quatre stirred and opened his eyes again, rolling to the side to look up at Heero, saying, "Sorry. . .I just feel so. . .faint. . ."

"You have been bleeding the whole way. Come on, you've rested long enough, let's go." Heero started to crawl again and Quatre tried to get up but his arms went limp and fell back down, making loud noises. Heero quickly went to his side and helped him up.

"Sorry. . ." Quatre muttered. Heero shushed him and said, "I'll help you, come on." He rested Quatre's wounded arm over his back and slowly started down the shaft. Quatre leaned heavily on him for a second, wobbling a bit. Heero stopped and looked at him, saying, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I just got a little dizzy."

"It's not much further, hold on." Heero reached the end of the passage and it went straight down after that. He looked over the edge and said, "All we have to do is go down here and we'll be outside." He looked over at Quatre and saw a nervous look on his face. He turned to him and said, "I know you're in a lot of pain but you have to do this, or else we'll never make it out. At least, not alive. . ." Quatre swallowed and tried to muster up the last bit of energy and endurance he had left, nodding and saying, "Okay, should I go first?"

"No, I will in case you slip I can stop you from falling. Wait till I'm in to follow." Heero swung his foot out over the edge and placed it against the side of the tunnel. He reached a hand out, placing it on the opposite wall. Quickly he put his back against the wall and braced himself. Nodding to Quatre, he started down the shaft. Quatre nervously watched him descend, thinking, _This is crazy, I can't do this. . ._ Heero looked back up at him and stared at him, waiting for him to follow. Finally, Quatre put his foot out, doing as Heero did. He was doing alright at first but his loafers weren't designed for good traction and grip. His feet slipped and he started falling down toward Heero. Heero's eyes widened as he thought, _Oh crud. . ._


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Gundam Wing yawn so. . .sigh don't sue. . .yawn me. . .I think I need some sleep. . .

Chapter 27

Heero braced himself against the sides of the shaft as Quatre came tumbling down and crashed into him. He cringed as he slid down a ways, getting sharp rub burns from the metal against his back as his shirt rode up, his hands slipping slowly. He forced his body out in all directions to stop himself, feeling the weight of Quatre's body pushing him down. He groaned and said, "Quatre, get. . .off me. . ." Quatre didn't respond. Heero looked closer at him and figured out that he had hit his head and fell unconscious. With a sigh of strain, Heero started down the shaft with Quatre on top of him, hoping he wouldn't slip and brake his back on the bottom. He finally reached the bottom and let out a sigh of relief, turning his head to look out the vent slats, only to see a face staring in at him. His eyes widened as the grate was pulled off, revealing a young woman with bluish black hair masking half her face, her eyes the same shimmering color.

"Well hello there, I didn't realize we had an infestation in our air ducts. Who might you be?" The woman asked, blinking her curious blue-purple eyes. He didn't respond as he tried to get out and fight her off. She grabbed his arm and said, "Woah, calm down! What did I say?" Quatre slid off Heero's lap and almost hit his head on the floor if the woman's quick reflexes hadn't kicked in. She caught him and Heero stared at her, trying to figure out if he should kill her or not.

"You work for OZ, don't you. . ." Heero asked in his cold voice. She looked up at him and said, "Well. . .I suppose. . .who are you?"

"Who are you." Heero returned the question. She smiled and said, "Lieutenant Noin."

__

Noin. . .she's Zechs' second in command. Heero remembered as he fell out of the vent, standing in front of Noin. She looked up at him, sizing up his body and figuring he was a bit too much for her to take down.

"Stand aside, I don't need to hurt you if I don't have to but I will." She held Quatre in her arms, frowning up at Heero as she said, "You have an attitude problem, you know that? I just said hello and you're throwing death threats at me already! Wait, you're the reason those alarms are going off, aren't you? Are you a rebel spy?"

"I suggest you hand him over, if you want to ever see that OZ man again." Heero threatened, his hand stretched out to Quatre's limp body. She blinked and said, "OZ man?"

"The one who came after us, I believe Zechs is his name. . ."

"Zechs? What did you do to him!" Noin looked worried.

"I didn't do anything, it's my friends that stopped him. I heard he's not doing so good, but since he's our prisoner now it doesn't really matter." Noin frowned at Heero and said, "Let him go, you don't understand. . ."

"I understand perfectly, now give him to me." Heero gestured to Quatre again and she looked down at him. Finally, she pulled out a gun and aimed it to Quatre's head, saying, "You'll take me to Zechs right now, or else." Heero growled and didn't want to take any chances on Quatre's life.

"Fine, but don't try anything stupid." She picked up Quatre, carrying him along with her as she followed Heero across the field to where their Gundams were hidden. Noin jumped into Sandrock with Quatre and piloted it back to the plane where they loaded up. Taking off, they were spotted by a patrol group and shot at.

"Hold on." Heero said bluntly as he veered back and forth to avoid being hit. They finally traveled far enough away to escape the attack. About 10 minutes later they arrived back at the camp to find the mess awaiting them. Noin's eyes widened when she saw the condition of Tallgeese, its hands mutilated and its body burnt and half destroyed.

"It looks like a war went on here. . ." Noin commented. Heero grunted and landed the plane, getting out with Noin following, carrying Quatre to ensure her safety. They walked over to the encampment and went up the elevator, remaining quiet the entire ride up. Noin stepped out of the elevator and waited for Heero to lead the way. He glanced into the first hut to see where everyone was and found the group, battered and injured from the battle. He stepped in and said, "You weren't kidding. . ."

"Heero, you're back." Relena said joyfully, jumping up and remembering her ankle as it throbbed. She fell back onto the bed and he quickly walked over to her, examining her ankle intently. Noin cautiously stepped in and said, "Where's Zechs? You told me he was here."

"Who's the pretty lady?" Duo asked as he stood up, greeting Noin.

"Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin, I'm here for Zechs. And I do believe he needs medical attention." Noin said, looking down at Quatre who hung off her shoulder by his arm. Duo motioned her to follow him and they stepped outside, walking down to the next hut over. He opened the door and looked in to see Trowa watching Zechs. Noin handed Quatre over to Duo and hurried to Zechs' side, blinking in admiration.

"His. . .mask is gone. I've never seen his entire face before. . .what happened?" Noin turned to Trowa, addressing the question to him. He blinked dully and said, "I don't know, I got here after the fight. You should ask Relena or Chang, since they were involved."

"I will." Noin checked his pulse and was satisfied with the steady beat. She brushed his bangs back as she felt his forehead for a temperature. Standing, she walked toward the door.

"Hey, wait! What happened to Quatre?" Duo asked Noin. She turned and looked down at him, saying, "I don't know, I found him and your other friend in the ventilation shaft." She walked out and returned to the first hut. She walked over to Relena and said, "Relena?" She looked up in surprise and said, "Yes, do I know you?"

"No, I was just guessing who you were. So, you're who he was after. . .what happened to Zechs?" Noin asked, musing for a moment.

"He fell from his Gundam, I think he might have broken his back." Relena said sadly.

"And where'd his mask go?"

"Oh, I broke it."

"You did what?" Noin looked shocked.

"She told me to, it was cracked anyway. . .why, what's the big deal with it?" Relena pointed to Rachel. Noin looked over at her and saw how bad her wounds were, walking across the hut to her bed. Heero stood and said, "Now that you've been here, I can't let you leave, you might tell Treize where we are and how bad it is."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I just came to get Zechs." Noin said, starting to resent being so nice to him in the first place and not sounding the alarm on him.

"You came for him? Are you his friend?" Relena asked.

"I guess you can say that. . .I don't know what's with his fascination in you but he seems to always be protecting you or looking out for you."

"Really?" Relena felt a slight blush on her cheek as she smiled. Heero frowned and said, "I don't get it, do you even know him?"

"Well, personally no but. . .he's my brother." Heero looked surprised.

"He is?" Heero said. Relena was about to answer when they heard commotion in the hut next door. Noin and Heero ran over to it and stopped in the doorway as they heard Zechs arguing with Trowa and Duo.

"Zechs, you're awake, how do you feel?" Noin asked as she walked over to him. He paused and stared at her, saying, "Noin? What are you doing here?"

"I caught two of these guys in the base and they said they had you, so I came to get you. But I don't think there's any plans for us to leave anytime soon. . ." Noin said, glancing over her shoulder at Heero standing in the doorway.

"Did Treize send you?"

"No, I came on my own accord."

"I see. . .well, no need to hurry me back, I will no longer work for Treize." Noin blinked in surprise and said, "What do you mean? You're joining them?"

"My mask was destroyed. It resembled my friendship with Treize; we are enemies now." Zechs stated briefly. Noin touched his shoulder as she said, "But then. . .what will you do now?"

"I don't know, I suppose fight against Treize. You might as well return because I won't be."

"I don't care much for OZ, I only want to help you achieve your goals, fight by your side. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay with you." Zechs blinked and said, "If you want to. . ." She smiled and said, "Thank you."

"Are you on our side now?" Duo asked, turning to the two ex-OZ officers.

"If you are against Treize, then yes, but I have one question, why is Relena with you?"

"Because I rescued her from death by the hands of your organization, they tried to suffocate her." Heero said coldly.

"What? Why! That wasn't suppose to happen, I don't even know why Treize wants her in the first place, her father is dead so there's no real significance to capturing her. She couldn't possibly know anything of importance. . ."

"She knows us." Duo commented.

"That is true, but he couldn't have known we had her in our possession. . ." Heero pondered.

"There's something strange going on and I want to know what it is. Like first off, why was I attacked and yet somewhat saved by an angel? She grew a sword from her hands and mutilated my Mobile suit. . .was she just a violent dream? Or is she. . .alive?" Zechs asked, still not able to move.

"I don't know for how much longer she'll be alive but yes, she's real." Heero said grimly.

"Don't say that, she'll be just fine!" Duo said, running out of the room to check on Rachel. Zechs viewed Duo's mood swing and said quietly, "He's in love with the angel, is he?"

"One might say so. . .hmm." Heero turned to Quatre. He lay unconscious still on the bed, his vest laying across the end of the bed and his shirt unbuttoned, pulled down around his elbows from when Duo had tended to and bandaged his bullet wound. Heero leaned against the doorframe, saying, "He's not very durable. . .one gunshot wound and he's out like a light."

"Give him a break, you had him crawling through ventilation shafts! He's not like you,. . .I don't even think I know your name."

"It's Heero." Everyone turned to see Relena in the doorway beside Heero, her hand on his shoulder for support as she hopped up. She leaned her other hand on his shoulder and rested her head against the backs of her hands, staring down at Zechs and Noin.

"Relena, you're alright." Zechs said, sounding pleased. She smiled weakly and said, "So are you. . .I suppose."

"I can't move, I think I may be paralyzed permanently. . ." Zechs said sadly. Noin looked concerned and said, "No, you can't be, we need you! You're one of the best pilots I've ever met. . ."

"Noin. . .it can't be stopped, what's done is done." Heero looked at the floor, thinking how Rachel could probably do something about it. But she was badly hurt, barely holding on herself at the moment. Heero glanced at Relena and saw the same look on her face, most likely having the same thoughts as well.

__

Everyone's so badly hurt; this isn't looking good. . .what if we get attacked? My gundam is running low on fuel and Duo's Gundam has nothing in it but fumes. Quatre's gundam is battered, I don't know what we were thinking bringing his gundam along and leaving Chang behind, we could have used him. And as much as I'd like to claim the ability to do everything myself, I can't. . .not this time. We're seriously in trouble if we're attacked now. . . Heero thought as he stared at Relena's daydreaming eyes, gazing into the floor as she thought. Not showing any emotions, Heero reached up and touched Relena's cheek, startling her from her trance. She glanced up at him and smiled. He softened his stone-like expression and said, "You should sit down, you're not helping that ankle heal any faster by standing on it."

"I'm not standing on it, see?" She motioned to her flamingo-like stance, her knee bent and injured foot in the air behind her. He grunted and said, "I still would prefer that you sat down, just to be safe."

"Oh fine. . ." She started to hop forward when Heero put his hand on her waist, helping her along. She smiled at him and he eased her over to Zechs' bed, sitting her down on the edge on the other side of Noin.

"I'll go check to see how the others are doing and-" He heard shuffling noises and turned to see Quatre waking and sitting up. Wincing, Quatre gently touched his bandaged arm, saying, "Ugh, what happened? I remember my foot sliding and then things started spinning. . .Heero?" He looked up groggily and blinked, seeing Noin by Relena and Heero. Heero walked over to the bed and said, "You passed out and fell on top of me, I could have broken my back on the bottom of that vent shaft thanks to you, but all I got was a painful rub burn." Heero sternly scolded. Quatre hunched over, sweating a bit as he said, "I. . .I'm sorry, Heero. I don't know what happened, I don't usually do that. I mean, I've been shot before and never passed out. . ."

"Well, I had to carry both our weights, be thankful I didn't slip too, we could have both been badly hurt if not killed."

"Heero, stop it! Why are you being so mean to Quatre, it wasn't something he could help!" Relena scolded Heero. He looked over his shoulder at her and grunted. Frowning, she responded, "Don't you grunt at me, I mean it, leave him alone, Heero Yuy! How would you feel if someone picked on you every time you messed up? Oh right, you'd just shoot them. . ." Heero turned to her and said quietly, "Why are you being so judgmental?"

"I'd like to ask the same question." Relena folded her arms, giving him a glare. It wasn't exactly Heero's death glare but it was a glare, more of a ticked "P.M.S. style" glare than anything. Heero looked away and said, "Fine, I'll stop."

"Good." Relena said, and the discussion ended. Trowa came walking in just then and said, "Rachel's awake, she wants to talk to you, Heero." Heero looked surprised and said, "Okay." He followed Trowa out the door to the other hut where he found Rachel's pale face moving, her eyes dull with weakness. She was whispering to Duo when Heero walked in and turned her attention to the newcomer.

"Heero. . ." Rachel whispered, almost gasping for air. He knelt down next to her bed, getting close so she didn't have to speak loud.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Heero asked calmly.

"I have to. . .to tell you something." Rachel closed her eyes as a chilly pain went through her body. Heero waited till she was settled. Opening her eyes again, she whispered, "I. . .I don't think I can make it this time. . .I've lost too much. . .blood and. . .I'm feeling fainter by the second. I think I might. . ."

"No, you can't die, please don't say that. . ." Duo pleaded, gently holding her cold hand in his, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

"It's the truth, Duo, she is dying." Heero said, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Trowa stood in the doorway, his arms folded as he watched them talk.

"Why don't you have that same enthusiasm to save her, Heero?" Trowa asked quietly. Heero turned to him and said, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, I'm talking about earlier. . .the cell. . .the air slowly draining out and you-"

"I get the picture." Heero growled. Yes, he had freaked out when Relena was suffocating. But that was different, wasn't it? He looked down at the bed in thought as he said, "I don't think there's anything any of us can do for her, so why judge me, Trowa. . .it's not as if I have any brilliant plans."

"But she's so valuable. . .are you just going to let her die?"

"I can't do anything, I'm just a human being."

"I thought you said you weren't human, Heero. . ." Heero looked up to see Quatre leaning against the doorframe, looking down at him with a stern stare.

__

"Are you okay? You looked scared, Heero."

"I don't have fear."

"It's not a bad thing to be scared now and then, it's part of being human."

"Then I guess I'm not human. . ." Oh yes. . .I did say that, didn't I. . .maybe. . .I was. . .wrong. . .Heero thought, remembering a conversation he had had with Quatre earlier on in their journeys.

"I was referring to fear, Quatre. . .I'm not afraid of anything." Heero stated.

"You're a hypocrite." Trowa said. Heero glared at him, feeling cornered in the three-way conversation.

"Well if you're so smart why don't you heal her, Trowa! HUH! Go ahead, work your magic!" Heero stood up, yelling and huffing. Trowa didn't shift his gaze as he said, "Calm down, Heero, you're not achieving anything through arguing."

"How about you shutup before I shoot you." Heero growled, reaching for his gun.

"Heero, please. . ." He stopped and turned back to Rachel, seeing her weakly reaching to him. He took her hand gently and said, "Rachel, I can't do anything for you. . ."

"Please, just let me. . .let me have. . ." She gasped out, trying to finish her sentence. He knelt down next to her bed, saying, "Let you have what?"

"Your life." Heero's eyes widened and he said, "My life?" Suddenly, his pupils shrank and he screamed, his head flying back as his eyes flew wide open. Just as suddenly as he let this outburst out, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the floor, his grip on Rachel's hand loosened.

"HEERO!" Duo screamed, diving to the floor beside the wide eyed, unconscious boy.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and I don't claim that Heero would pass out from a 25 mile marathon. . .heck, he could probably run around the planet without breaking a sweat! Oo

Chapter 28

"Heero? What happened?" Quatre stared down in surprise as Duo freaked out, shaking Heero on the floor.

"Heero, WAKE up!" Duo screamed, starting to scream curses in frustration. As tears ran down his cheek, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, Rachel stared down sullenly at Duo and said, "Sorry about that. . .I had to. . ."

"Did you. . .kill him!" Duo asked frantically, his eyes wide in shock. Rachel sat up, much to everyone's surprise, and said, "No, he's not dead."

"What did you do?" Trowa asked. Standing, Rachel started taking off her bandages, saying, "I stole his life, his energy. I needed some for myself because mine was too low to heal like usual without waiting long. I asked for him because I knew how resilient and strong his was, so he'd survive this until I got the chance to give him back a little to get better. The most he'll have to put up with is being extremely tired for about a day or so, for as long as it takes his body to replenish its lost energy. Don't worry, he'll be fine. He may hate me for what I did, it's not a very comfortable process having the life drained out of you. . ." Rachel pulled the bandage off her shoulder and knelt next to Heero's shocked form.

"So, is that why he screamed? It. . .felt strange?" Quatre asked, curious about what happened.

"Something like that. Don't say anything about it, he won't be in a happy mood when he wakes up. And. . .you may want to hold him for a second, Duo, I don't want him to wake up and go straight for my throat."

"Right." Duo placed his hands on Heero's shoulders and held on for dear life while Rachel placed her index finger on Heero's forehead.

"Wake up." Rachel said. A small burst of light came from her finger and Heero's eyes rolled back and stared at her. Like she had predicted, he tried to get up and tackle her but wasn't strong enough to throw Duo off.

"GET OFF ME, I WANNA KILL HER!" Heero screamed, struggling a few seconds before tiring out and gasping for air like he had just come back from a 25-mile marathon. Rachel stood up and stepped back a bit, looking saddened by his reaction.

"I'm sorry, Heero, I didn't want to die and leave you all so defenseless. Please forgive me, you will be better soon." She walked toward the door, brushing past Trowa and Quatre.

"Ah!" Quatre let out a little yelp, reaching for his arm. To his surprise it didn't hurt anymore.

"Looks like she's already starting to fix things." Trowa said quietly, noticing Quatre's healed arm. He stepped out and followed Rachel down to the other hut. Before she could enter, he put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. She glared at him and said, "What! I need to help the others, if you don't mind."

"Looks like you inherited some of that Heero charm along with his energy, Rachel." Trowa commented on her attitude. She pulled away and said, "And is that a bad thing?"

"Look, I think you need to take it easy, you just recovered from the brink of death, your blood couldn't have possibly replenished itself as well from this. Just take it easy, they'll still be here later after you rest."

"I've rested enough, I need to fix what I've caused."

"You haven't caused any of this to happen-"

"Yes I did!" Rachel shot back sharply, "I was the one who shot Tallgeese down when Zechs and Relena were on it, I was the one who tried to save them but instead I got Zechs' back broken and Relena's ankle as well because my wing couldn't take the strain. I most likely caused Chang's leg to be mutilated like that because I pulled him from that falling hand!" Trowa grabbed her gently but firmly by the shoulders, staring deep into her eyes.

"Listen to me! You are not responsible for every last thing that goes wrong, it's not your duty to fix everything to the point of passing out, so stop it!" She stared at him in surprise. With a sigh, he said, "Look, just. . .take it easy, Zechs is fine as long as he doesn't move and Noin is here to keep him distracted from any pain he feels."

"Noin? She's here?" Rachel changed the subject.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. Look, just go in and lay down, don't heal Zechs till you're feeling stronger."

"But I do feel strong, I'm fine!" Rachel complained. Trowa turned her around, walking her toward the door as he said, "I don't care, it won't help anyone to pass out before you can even finish healing him. You really do need to work on that, figure out a way to concentrate your energy and make it go farther."

"Oh right, pick on my weak talents. . ." Rachel rolled her eyes as they stepped into the hut. The three alone in the room looked up from a conversation and Relena said, "Rachel, you're up!"

"Yes, but Heero's down. Maybe you should calm him, he's a little. . .ticked." Trowa said. Relena frowned in confusion but went anyway. Trowa walked Rachel over to the free bed as she said sarcastically, "I can walk myself, thank you." She plopped down and stared over at Zechs, who stared back.

"So I wasn't imagining things. . .who are you?" Zechs asked Rachel, his eyes full of wonder.

"My name is Rachel. How are you feeling?" Rachel said sweetly. Trowa sat down next to her to listen to the conversation and make sure she eventually got some rest.

"Not good, my back is-"

"Broken, I know. I wish I could do something about it but 'someone' won't let me. . ." Rachel glared at Trowa and he ignored the look.

"What can you do, unless you're secretly a skilled surgeon there's not much you can do."

"Well. . .I'm no surgeon. . ." Rachel smiled innocently. Zechs didn't understand but said, "Was I dreaming when you were flying or did that really happen?"

"Depends, are you going to stay here or are you leaving and returning to Treize? Since your helmet is broken your friendship with him is gone, is it not?"

"How did you know about that, I was wondering since you were the one who told her to do so."

"I have my secrets, and so do you. But I know most of your secrets. . ." Rachel winked.

"Don't worry, she's not psychotic, she knows a lot about everyone else too." Trowa added.

"Hmm. If Treize knew about you he might have you kidnapped. . ."

"Well he's not going to find out, now is he?" Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"How long have you been with the Gundam Pilots?" Noin asked, changing the subject a bit.

"Oh. . .I forget, somewhere around a week maybe. . .I think less. . ."

"I don't know, I came in halfway through I think." Trowa commented.

"Chang came in halfway through, you were like. . .the second day I think?" Rachel mused.

"But you act as if you all know each other so well." Noin said.

"Yeah, I kind of know them from a distance and I guess we just bonded. . ." Rachel smiled, elbowing Trowa. He elbowed her back and she shoved him, getting shoved back. Then she hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him over, giving him a noogie as he complained.

"AH, MY HAIR!" Trowa whined, trying to get free. She finally let him go and he pouted, desperately attempting to fix his hair. They all laughed.

"Oh Trowa, it's just hair. . ." Rachel rolled her eyes, patting him on the back.

"It's my hair. . ." Trowa muttered as he got up and walked toward the door.

"Where you going?"

"To my room." He grumbled, walking out.

__

Geez, touchy touchy. . .why are guys so picky about their hair! It's like they'll die if ONE hair is out of place. . .Rachel thought as she sighed and laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Zechs, you'll be okay for a while, won't you? I don't think I should try helping you until my strength is completely restored. Besides, the guys would kill me if I didn't get some rest."

"Of course, I'll be fine. You're generous, seeing that I almost killed you and tried to kidnap Relena." Zechs said calmly.

"I know you're really not that bad, just following orders. . ." Rachel smiled at him as she turned in the bed and stretched out across it before curling up and closing her eyes. She soon fell asleep and Noin smiled, saying, "She's not bad either, rather a sweet girl I think. . ."

"Too bad she has to be around these guys all the time, how unfortunate. . ."

"Maybe she'll make an impression on them, shape them up a bit?" Noin winked.

"Hmm." Zechs closed his eyes as well, deciding he needed sleep. Noin stayed by his bedside as he slept, nowhere else for her to go.

"Chang, you okay, buddy?" Duo asked as he walked over to the resting boy with his leg hanging over the side of the bed. Chang peeked open one eye for a second and said, his arms crossed leisurely over his chest like usual, "What do you want, Maxwell, I'm trying to sleep." Duo sat gently on the bed just past Chang's leg and said, "Just wondering how you were, that's all. Hey, thanks again for the counseling earlier, I needed it."

"You haven't spoken to her about that outburst yet, Maxwell, so don't thank me yet. Explain why you said it and she may understand, but don't be a baka this time. . ." Duo frowned and said, "Fine, but I think she's asleep in the other hut. At least I hope she is, she better be."

"Go see if you're in such denial." Chang commented. Duo stuck his tongue out at him and Chang said, his eyes closed, "I saw that, you infantile delinquent." Duo frowned and got up, haughtily stalking out of the room. He walked quietly up to the next door hut, peeking in the door. Noin looked up at him as he walked up and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms and looking down at Rachel.

"Has Heero calmed down yet?" Noin asked. Duo looked over at her and said, "Oh, yeah Relena's still talking to him quietly. It's cute, he's laying in her lap and she's stroking his hair." Duo chuckled and Noin smiled.

"Are they in love?" Noin asked.

"Yeah, he finally got the guts to tell her how he felt so now they're always acting all lovey dovey around each other."

"Do you love her?" Noin asked, looking over at Rachel. He smiled serenely and said in a soft voice, "With all my unworthy heart." Smiling the same, Noin looked over at Zechs but didn't say anything. Duo caught the smile and thought to himself, _She must really care for him, coming clear out here without orders just to be with him? And deciding to stay just because he is? She really has it bad for him. . ._ He smiled and stepped in, walking over to Rachel and sitting on the floor next to the bed, not wanting to disturb her. He stared at her calm and peaceful face, watching her steady breathing as she slept. He wanted to kiss her, but she needed the rest so he settled with just smiling at her.

"I don't think I know your name, at least no one has addressed you yet so I can figure it out." Noin said quietly, trying to keep from waking the resting people.

"My name's Duo, or Maxwell as Chang prefers to call me most of the time." Duo smiled.

"Chang?"

"He's the Chinese boy with a stick up his butt in the first hut." Noin struggled to stifle a laugh. Just then, Quatre stepped into the room and said, "Duo, can I speak to you for a minute?"

"Um, sure." Duo got up and followed Quatre outside. Leaning against the railing, Quatre turned to Duo and said, "I've been noticing how Rachel's been. . .acting different."

"What do you mean?" Duo asked, looking worried.

"Well, she's not as. . .concerned."

"I thought she was, why else would she do all of that?"

"I mean when we first met her she was so sweet and was easily upset by things, you know, a bit emotional at times. . ."

"And?"

"She so easily attacked that Mobile suit, even though she knew who was in it, and she drained Heero without a second thought and didn't even look concerned afterward! Duo, she's changing, aren't you worried?" Duo looked away, gazing out across the forest.

"I don't really know what to do, or to say. I've ticked her off so often lately I don't know if I have any right to do anything."

"Duo, don't say that! Look, I'm sure things are tough but that happens sometimes! Just talk to her!" Duo shook his head and Quatre scowled, grabbing Duo's shoulders and shaking him slightly.

"Talk to her, now!" Duo stared at him in surprise, Quatre's fury being such an unseen reaction. He finally nodded and said, "But, she's-"

"I don't care if she's lying in pieces on the floor, get in there and talk to her!"

__

That was gross. . .and from Quatre's mouth, no less. . .Duo thought as he walked toward the hut. He looked down at Rachel, seeing her still asleep. He glanced back at Noin and saw that she was asleep too, resting her head on the bed. He swallowed and turned back to Rachel, crouching and gently shaking her shoulder. She awoke and looked up sleepily at him. He didn't smile as he said, "Sorry to wake you up, but I wanted to talk to you."

"Can it wait?" Rachel asked, a little reluctant to get up yet.

"No, I'm sorry." She sat up and he stood, looking down at the floor by the door. She paused, looking at him expectantly. He looked back at her and said, "Alone?" She sighed and got up, following him outside. He walked all the way down to the last hut and turned, leaning against the railing across from the hut and waiting for Rachel to catch up. She strolled over to the hut, leaning against it with her arms crossed, staring out over the forest. Duo silently looked at the deck for a while until Rachel said, "So, what did you drag me out of bed for?" Looking up, Duo said, "I. . .I wanted to explain my actions earlier. I was a jerk, I'm sorry."

"Duo, I really don't want to talk about this." Rachel said, sighing.

"Please, I need to tell you this. I only acted the way I did because I. . .I'm scared." She looked over at him, still looking annoyed as she said, "Of what?"

"Of losing you. I have this idea in my head that if I mess up, I'm coming one step closer to being dumped for some cuter and nicer guy, someone like Quatre or Trowa. . .I think Quatre wouldn't mind."

"Duo, how could you say that?"

"Because, I'm so scared! You should know how many things I've lost, how all the people I've grown close to have died! First I never had parents to love me, at least I don't remember them, I probably cursed them for even bringing me into the world. Then I lost Solo, my best friend in the entire universe and practically my brother. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen didn't last long before my curse fell on them and they died in their church. No one that has loved me has lived long, and I don't want to lose another person that I cherish. But I think everyday that you're with me I will do something to hurt you or say something to drive you away."

"Duo, I know about your unfortunate past, but that won't happen again, not this time." Rachel responded calmly. Duo stepped over to her and grabbed her shoulders, saying, "I never thought they would leave me either but they did! You can't say something you know nothing about, you can't judge the future before it has even come! You could die tomorrow, heck, you almost died today!"

"But I didn't, Duo. . ." Rachel looked into his eyes, "As long as we have each other, nothing can bring us down."

"I. . .I just don't have the faith that you do, Rachel. . ." Duo looked down in shame, tears coming to his eyes. Rachel reached up, touching Duo's cheek softly as she said, "You can, just don't let doubt rule your world. With Jesus by your side, you'll never have to doubt anything again. 'But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible'. That's a very good verse and it reminds me that you can't always count on people to get you through, but God will never let you down. If our love is meant to be, it will be. No demon or other Hell sent creature can break us apart if we have the hands of God guarding us."

"But I thought I was Hell sent." Duo said, slightly out of sarcasm.

"No, you're my little angel. . ." Rachel kissed him on the cheek and hugged him.

"Angel?" Duo whispered in surprise.

"My guardian angel sent from Heaven to watch over me, I love you so much, Duo. . ." He hugged her tighter and said, "I love you too. . ." Just then, they heard a loud scream echo from one of the huts. Blinking in shock, Rachel said, "Zechs!" They ran down to the hut and found Zechs laying on the floor face down, screaming in pain with Noin by him not wanting to touch him but looking frantic. Rachel quickly knelt by him and said, "What happened!"

"I don't know! I was sleeping and I heard him scream and then I found him on the floor!" Noin said, her eyes wild with shock.

"Alright, calm down, I'll help him." Rachel placed her hands on his back, causing him a bit more pain as she closed her eyes. In a second, he stopped yelling and Rachel swayed a bit. Duo grabbed her before she fell over and held her against his chest as he watched Zechs get up, wobbling to his feet.

"Zechs, you can stand!" Noin asked, looking even more shocked. Touching his back, Zechs stared down at Rachel, saying, "She's full of surprises. . .I didn't know she could heal too."

"Yeah, there's a lot to her that we don't know about." Duo said, stroking her hair as she rested against him, taking deep breaths and feeling faint. Zechs sat down on the bed and stared at her, thinking, _If Treize ever found out about her, who knows what he could do. . .his powers would be endless, he could. . .rule the world. . ._

"Zechs, now that you can move, is there any place you need to go?" Noin asked.

"I need to speak to Relena, where is she?" Zechs asked.

"With Heero last I saw, in the first hut." Duo said, pointing in its general direction. Zechs nodded and stood, walking toward the door. Noin jumped up and followed him, remembering how dangerous Heero threatened to be before.

"Everything changes now. . ." Rachel muttered, closing her eyes.

"Huh? What do you mean? Rachel?" Duo looked down at her but found her fast asleep.

__

Everything changes. . .but in what way? And is this necessarily a good thing? Duo thought as he cradled Rachel in his arms and rocked her slowly.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. I also don't claim that Quatre knows nothing about sports, it's just something stupid I put in. Don't hurt me. . .covers eyes You can't see me now, so you can't kill me . . .moo-haha. . .

Chapter 29

"Okay, you're all better now." Rachel said, stepping back from Chang. He jumped up off the bed and tested his leg, saying, "Nice work, I'll go run around to make sure it's better." He jogged out of the room and Rachel smiled, thinking, _You're welcome, Chang._

"So, since obviously they know where we are, maybe we should move? You know, so we don't get attacked again." Duo commented. Heero looked up from Relena's lap and said, "Where, there's nowhere to hide."

"Maybe we can hop from town to town for a while till we find a good place to stay." Quatre suggested.

"You can't, Treize has soldiers based in every city for a radius of 150 miles. Unless you're brave, or stupid, I wouldn't do that." Zechs stated.

"Apparently you know a lot about Treize's plans, perhaps you can fill us in on a few? We let you stay with us, being rebels as well, and you tell us Treize's maniacal plans." Heero said.

"It would be better for us to just stay together, seeing that there's more than one reason to stay." Noin whispered to Zechs.

"More than one?" Duo asked, hearing her comment.

"Well, yes. Obviously Relena is at danger but also Rachel, if Treize ever found out about what she can do he'll hunt her down. We have to keep her powers a secret, for all your safety." Noin said.

"I wouldn't be of too much help, I pass out if I use too much energy, I'd never be able to live long enough to do things he may want me to." Rachel added.

"Oh, he'll find a way around that, nothing can stop his plans from coming to life." Zechs said.

"We will." Heero said.

"No doubt you'll try. He's got an army building that is unstoppable, if you have a plan I suggest you put it into action now before he gathers his powers to destroy your hopes and dreams."

"So far the 6 of us have Gundams but two of them are damaged, they wouldn't be of any help in a battle situation, and one is out of fuel." Trowa put in.

"6 Gundams?" Zechs looked over at him in surprise.

"She has one, it's stored away at the moment but its abilities are far superior to any of our Gundams."

"All levels of attack, ammunition, maneuverability, and armor are at 160, the highest of any gundam built yet." Rachel stated.

"How could you build such a powerful Gundam! Not even the creators of the original five could make one of such power! Who built it?" Noin asked.

"I did."

"I see you're an endless enigma; building a gundam alone is a feat in itself." Zechs said.

"It wasn't so hard. But we need to discuss our situation at hand, we have four functioning Gundams at our disposal and two that need repairs. I think the first thing we need to do is repair Sandrock and Deathscythe, and Tallgeese if we have time since it is a powerful mobile suit."

"I don't know much about your Gundams but I can repair Tallgeese by myself if I had the proper tools to do so, but there's not much in the way of a workshop around here for miles."

"I can take care of that part since I know nothing about mechanics and would just get in the way. Whatever you need I'll give you, don't be afraid to ask. But I will need to see what it looks like if I don't already have a mental picture of it because I can't create it otherwise."

"I can arrange that with my laptop, since I'm not able to do any manual labor for a few days." Heero said, slight grumbling in his voice.

"Alright, we should fix our Gundams up first before deciding on anything, shall we?" Duo said, walking toward the door.

"My gundam needs the most repairs, the hatch is crunched in so I can't get in very easily." Quatre commented.

"Yes, we'll start on yours first. Let's go." They all walked out, Relena helping Heero out as he slowly followed. He sat down on one of the deck chairs and waited while Relena went to get his laptop. He looked up at Rachel as she approached and said, "I'm still not happy with you."

"You don't have to tell me, I think I could figure it out on my own by the dirty looks you keep giving me. But I guess you would have preferred me to die instead, maybe I shouldn't have tried to live a little longer."

"Whatever, you know you can't make me feel guilty." Heero glared.

"Who said I was trying?" Rachel looked away and stared down at the boys, watching them bring Sandrock out of the trees to be repaired. Chang retrieved his gundam to pull out Deathscythe since it was immobilized. While the ant-sized mechanics went to work, Rachel watched and waited for a request for tools. She saw Duo below her shouting and frowned.

"Hmm, I can't hear him from here." Rachel said to herself. Then, she created a walkie-talkie and clicked it on, saying, "Repeat that, Duo?"

Oh, cool! Duo said, finding the other walkie-talkie in his hand, Well, we need a sledge hammer and a power drill. She heard Quatre shouting at him about the sledgehammer and laughed.

"I think Quatre has some complaints about that order." Rachel said.

Yeah well it's the only way to get the dent out. Oh, and we need some new bolts to attach the hatch back on, and a pry bar to get the old bolts off. Duo said. Rachel turned to Heero as Relena walked up with the laptop and said, "What do these bolts look like?" While Heero typed on his computer, she sent the other requests down to them and they started on their work. Zechs jumped up onto his Mobile suit, assessing the damage while Noin ran over to Duo to retrieve the walkie-talkie.

"Rachel, this is Noin, over." Noin said.

Yes, do you need something? Rachel responded.

"I don't know yet but I do think he'll need a welder, is that possible?"

Sure! A welder appeared by Noin and she looked down in surprise.

"Thanks, I'll be in contact soon, Noin out." Noin said. Rachel smiled and said, "She's really official with her communications talk, definitely a soldier."

"Hmm." Heero just grunted and typed some more before saying, "This is what they need." Rachel peeked over his shoulder at the screen and said, "Okie dokie." She sent the needed bolts down to Duo and he waved. Rachel smiled and relaxed on the railing, crossing her arms and enjoying the breeze. Relena sat down next to Heero, looking down at the deck. He looked up at her and stared at her face, trying to read her mood. Rachel sensed that she wanted to be alone with him and said, "I'll be right back, I'm gonna check on something." She walked away and Relena looked up, watching her go.

"What's wrong." Relena looked back and saw Heero staring at her expectantly. She looked into her lap and said, "Everything's moving so fast, I feel like. . .I'm in the way."

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just feel that way. And now I find out that I have a brother, that I'm not alone. It's just going faster than I can figure things out." Relena hid her face in her hands in frustration. Mellowing, Heero set his laptop on the table, saying, "Relena, don't worry about things, I'll take care of you." She looked up and blinked.

"You. . .you mean you're not going to leave me somewhere? Dump me on my brother?"

"I don't trust him, he worked for Treize and that's enough for me. Besides, I thought we were. . .together. I can't just leave you out in the cold if we are, what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I did?"

"A real jerk of one." Relena said with a smile. He still had an emotionless face but she knew he was smiling inside with her. He patted his lap and said, "Come here." She got up and sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her, hugging her as he rested his head against her. Closing his eyes, he said, "This might be difficult but we can make it, our love will survive no matter what, I promise you."

"But won't it get in the way? I mean, you have a weakness now, that's a bad thing, right?"

"I don't care, my lifetime mission now is to protect you and always be with you, forever."

"Forever? As in what? Just staying boyfriend and girlfriend or. . ."

"Depends." She smiled and said, "Good enough for me."

"Hey Duo, hand me that bolt over there." Quatre said, working on putting the hatch back on his Gundam.

"Sure, catch!" Duo tossed the bolt to him and Quatre caught it. As they attached the door, Chang helped Trowa make minor repairs to Deathscythe, patching it up where needed. Zechs and Noin worked on putting the hands back on his mobile suit, welding the connections back together that had been severed. Rachel returned to her post by Heero and he started to pull away from Relena. Relena hugged his neck tighter and said, "Oh, she doesn't mind if we hug, right, Rachel?"

"No, not at all." Rachel said with a smile, "Heero, I don't care what you do, you won't look any less impressive if you show affection for your girlfriend." Heero leaned his head down and hid behind Relena, snuggling into her blouse. She giggled and played with his hair, curling the dark brown locks around her index finger intently. Heero purred quietly and pulled her closer, nuzzling in more and breathing in her scent, sighing. Rachel smiled at them.

__

They're so cute together, I never would have expected Heero to be the loving, cuddling type. . .

Rach, you up there? Rachel looked down at the walkie-talkie and pulled it up to her mouth, saying, "Yeppers, what can I do you for?"

Oh, well. . .heh. . . Duo responded with a sly grin.

"What did you call up here for." Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

Oh, Chang was wondering if you had by any chance the ability to refuel Deathscythe, since that's the only real big problem with it.

"Sure, it's done."

Really? Just like that? Suddenly they heard Deathscythe roar to life and test mobility, flexing its arms and legs.

"Yep, just like that." Rachel smiled.

Hey, thanks! At this rate, we'll be done before sundown! Duo out!

"Well, that's good news. Let's see how Zechs and Noin are doing." Rachel said, walking over to the railing to peer over at them. They had 3 fingers from the right hand reconnected and functional and were working on the rest. She teleported a walkie-talkie down to Noin and called her.

This is Noin, over? Noin responded to the beeping.

"This is Rachel, how's the repair work going?"

It's going. We might have most of this done by nightfall, if we're lucky.

"If you need a hand I can call over Trowa and Chang, they're done with Deathscythe and Duo and Quatre can handle Sandrock's repairs on their own."

That's okay, we already have a hand but thank you. Noin said sarcastically.

"Gee, I didn't know you were so funny."

Oh sure, but I hide it a lot, not many opportunities to express my humor. Noin laughed.

"Right. So, do you need their help? It'll get the job done faster and Trowa is pretty good with mechanics of all sorts."

That would be great, I'll tell Zechs we have help coming.

"Great, I'll send them over. Rachel out." She walked over to side where the boys were and whistled to Trowa and Chang who had just joined Duo. Duo tossed the radio to Trowa and let him respond since he had his hands full.

This is Trowa, did you call? Trowa responded quietly.

"Yes, Noin and Zechs could use a hand finishing their repairs, head on over there."

Affirmative, Trowa out. Trowa handed the radio back to Duo and the two boys started their journey over to Tallgeese's still form.

"Affirmative, humph, sounds like a computer's response." Rachel muttered to herself.

"Close enough." Heero muttered.

"Oh, haha." Rachel said, walking toward the opposite side of camp where the broken railings were. She started repairing the damage, resorting to manual labor to save energy. She finished about 20 minutes later when the others finished up their work. Duo snuck up behind Rachel, grabbing her around the waist, swinging her up and around in his arms. She looked wide-eyed at him when he set her down and said, "Man, you have a lot of energy for having repaired a gundam in less than three hours!"

"Awe, and at least you could have squealed, I would have felt better." Duo said, fake pouting as he grinned.

"I don't squeal, that's what pigs do." Rachel said with a less than amused look on her face, poking him in the stomach.

"Don't, I'm hungry!" Duo whined, his stomach confirming his claim by growling.

"Woah, no kidding. Maybe I can whip up a little something for everyone, if we have enough food. Let's go see what we've got." Rachel smiled and dragged Duo down the walkway to the first hut containing their rations. They found enough to feed the entire group and relaxed for the evening, watching the beautiful sunset together. Duo had his arm around Rachel, saying, "Wow, this is turning out to be a pretty nice day, there's only one thing that can make it better."

"What's that?" Rachel asked. Duo jumped up and shouted, "FOOTBALL!"

"Football! Are you insane or just high on something, Maxwell!" Chang said, not sounding as enthusiastic about the idea of the game.

"Awe, come on! There's nothing better to relax before bed like playing a nice game of football!"

"Yes, I've always found running like an idiot and bashing people into the dirt while fumbling around this strange shaped ball very relaxing." Zechs mused sarcastically.

"Well, no one said you had to play, but I wanna do something! Pleeeaaaase, someone play with me?" Duo begged.

"I'll play, I could use a good exercise after that meal." Trowa said, standing up.

"I haven't played Football before, how's it played?" Quatre asked.

"Heh, don't worry, you'll find out, you in?" Duo grinned.

"Sure, why not!" Quatre stood up as well. Heero looked up and said, "I'll play maybe one game but I don't think I could play too much."

"We'll go easy on ya then, don't want to take advantage of you in your weakened state." Duo winked.

"Omae o korosu, Duo." Heero growled, giving him the death stare.

"Wufei, join us, it'll be fun!" Duo said, a broad grin on his face.

"Stop smiling like an idiot and maybe I will." Chang said, standing up reluctantly.

"Okay, fine. Hey, so you gonna sit up here and watch, Zechs?" Duo asked, not smiling anymore.

"I never said I wouldn't play." Zechs grinned.

"Great! Let's go downstairs and have some fun!" Duo started running toward the elevator when Chang yelled to him, "BAKA!"

"What!" Duo yelled back over his shoulder.

"That's sad that he would just let Chang call him that." Quatre commented to Trowa.

"What's sadder is that he responded." Trowa whispered.

"Aren't you forgetting a key part of football? Like. . .let's see. . .THE BALL!" Chang said, crossing his arms.

"Oh. . .uh. . ." Duo looked stupidly around. Suddenly, a football flew at his face and he caught it in surprise.

"There, have fun!" Rachel said from her chair. Duo ran back to her and said, "Come on, we need some cheer leaders!"

"Hey, I don't cheer, I'm not an airhead." Rachel said, sounding insulted.

"It's either that or you play with us, get sweaty and smelly. . ." Duo said slyly.

"Go, Duo, Go! Ra Ra Ra!" Rachel cheered with imaginary pompoms. With a laugh, everyone headed down stairs to watch and play the game. The girls stood by the sidelines cheering like idiots while the boys started the game, splitting into two teams of three.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. I also do not claim that events or feelings or statements made in this chapter are true. . .actually, pretty much all of it isn't true because it's just a story I'm writing about a TV show. . .oh nevermind, it's too deep to go into. . .

Chapter 30

"Ra Ra Re, kick 'em in the knee; Ra Ra Rass, kick 'em in the OTHER KNEE!" the cheerleaders shouted, jumping up and down doing their best airhead impressions. Duo set the ball on the ground while Quatre backed up, saying, "So I just have to kick the ball?"

"As hard as you can, go!" Duo said. Quatre nodded and ran forward, slamming his foot into the ball. It went flying thirty feet into the air and the girls Oooed and Aahed in amazement, watching it soar down the field. The opposite team ran for it, Zechs hurtling in front of the group and catching the ball, quickly running for the opposite side of the field with the ball.

"I hate to see when they try to tackle him, he's not that easy to take down." Noin whispered to the girls. They nodded and watched in anticipation of some brutal clashing. Suddenly, Duo ran up to block Zechs. Cringing, the girls looked away as Duo went flying.

"Ouchy. . ." They all said in unison, shielding their eyes from the horrid sight. As they watched Duo stagger to his feet, he gave them a thumbs up and then put a hand on his hip, limping over to the teams waiting for him to come after Zechs had made the touchdown. The girls cheered them on, jumping up and down and doing cheer moves. As the guys continued in their game, parts of their clothes slowly came off until they were all playing in their pants, sweaty and catching the eyes of the drooling girls.

"Oh my gosh, he's even hotter than on the show!" Rachel gasped, staring at Zechs as he ran down the field, tackling the unaware Quatre into the ground.

"What?" Noin looked over in confusion.

"Uh, nothing. GO DUO!" Rachel screamed, covering up what she said. Heero slowly walked across the field, getting exhausted after only 20 minutes of playing.

"Hey, Heero, you gonna play or would you rather cheer on the sidelines with the girls!" Duo yelled over his shoulder. At that, Heero stared him down and said, "Duo, you're going down." They lined up and Trowa bent down with the ball.

"22, 16, 34, HIKE!" Duo yelled. Trowa tossed him the ball and Duo backed up, ready to throw to Quatre running out to catch. He was about to throw it when the world began to spin, along with the rest of him as he flew through the air. He tumbled across the grass and looked dizzily up at the canopy overhead, not quite sure what happened other than having the feeling of running into a wall, or a wall running into him. He saw Heero tower over him and say, "Next time, keep your guard up, baka." Trowa walked slowly over to Duo and said, "Need help up?"

"Yes." Duo squeaked, his crumpled body laying in a pile on the ground. Trowa pulled him to his wobbly feet and Duo limped over to the group, deciding not to do the throwing this time. Trowa stood behind Duo as he said, "28, 37, 63. . .what's the point of saying a bunch of numbers before saying 'hike'? I never quite understood that part." They all looked puzzled and Quatre said, "Don't look at me, I've never played before!"

"Maybe it's the numbers of the opposite players you want your team to cover or something, just my guess." Zechs said.

"But we don't have numbers." Trowa said, blinking.

"Then just say 'ready, set, hike' and get on with the beatings!" Chang said, getting impatient.

"Don't you mean the game?" Quatre asked.

"Same thing."

"Okay. . ." Trowa got ready again and said, "Ready, set, HIKE!" Duo tossed him the ball and Quatre went long again. Quickly, Trowa threw the ball before Chang, who was still peeved from the interruption, attacked him. Quatre caught the ball and ran for his life to the goal, which they marked to be by Sandrock's foot. Heero was too slow to catch up to him and Zechs took the lead, coming close to catching Quatre. But Quatre was small and quick, and outran Zechs by ten feet as he crossed the goal line.

"TOUCHDOWN!" The girls shouted together, cheering happily. Quatre jumped up and down joyfully just before Zechs body slammed him to the ground, shortly followed by Heero and then Chang, then Duo just for good measure sat on the top of the dog pile and grinned.

"Yay, we win!" Duo cheered. The pile shifted and Duo tipped back and fell head over heels to the ground with a thud. The guys slowly crawled off and walked away, leaving a crippled Quatre lying on the ground, twitching every so often.

"Owe. . ." Quatre croaked, staring blankly at the canopy like Duo had earlier. Duo, now very much bruised and battered, said, "Geez, I thought you were tired, Heero! Your elbow in my side said otherwise! And the tackle you gave me earlier and the surprise wedgy I got when I intercepted that pass to you!" He tugged at his pants just remembering the discomfort as Heero yelled back, "Your idiocy fueled my rampage."

"Heero, I think you've played enough, maybe you should go to bed." Relena called out. Heero started walking toward her when Duo shouted, and possibly for the last time, "Do you always do what your GIRLFRIEND tells you to!" Heero's head whipped around, giving Duo the worst imaginable death glare as he screamed across the field, tearing up the dirt and leaves as he sprinted toward Duo. Eyes wide, Duo screamed and turned, running for his life and stumbling half the time.

"Man, this reminds me of something on the Nature channel. You know, sort of like a lion chasing down an injured antelope. . ." Trowa commented. Quatre shook his head as Trowa watched on in interest of what would happen next. His eyes sparkling, Trowa said, "Fascinating. . .isn't it?"

"We need to have a talk later." Chang said as he walked up, giving Trowa a look of shame. Still chasing Duo, Heero began to tire, slowing down until his foot caught on a stick and he tumbled to the ground, sprawling out in the decaying leaves. Everyone cringed and Duo laughed at him, then ran for his life again before Heero got the chance to get up. Relena dashed out across the field to Heero's side, kneeling down to help him up. They walked slowly back to the elevator, Heero looking miserable and humiliated as he leaned on Relena to stay upright.

"Poor Heero, he pushed himself way too much. I hope he'll be okay." Rachel said sadly as she watched them board their ride up. Duo ran up behind Rachel and hugged her, saying, "Oh, he's fine, he's a tough cookie."

"Well, it's your fault he's so exhausted. And that fall! Duo, you embarrassed him!" Rachel scolded.

"Why are you always fussing at me like I'm a five year old?" Duo complained.

"Maybe because you act like one?"

"Do you like picking fights or am I just your punching bag to get anger out on?" Rachel turned to Duo and said, "No, I'm sorry. But I really wish you'd stop picking on Heero."

"Hey, it's in mere self defense! He teases me all the time too, it's our thing, ya know?"

"And you enjoy being picked on?"

"Well. . .no. But I get to pick on him back so it's all good." Duo winked. Rachel rolled her eyes and said, "You're hopeless. UTTERLY hopeless. . ."

"But that's just one of my many quarks that you find irresistibly charming about me!" Duo wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she sighed, saying, "Irresistible? Try 'incorrigible'. . ."

"What's that mean?"

"She's calling you hopeless, and I think she could just very well be right." Zechs said as he walked by with Noin, heading for the elevator. Duo pulled down his eyelid and stuck his tongue out at the back of Zechs' head. Rachel elbowed him and he frowned, saying, "Hey, he insulted me! I thought you said something about him being nice. . ."

"He is, maybe he's just grown accustomed to you!" Rachel winked. She wrapped her arms around Duo and they walked toward the elevator, finding it to be very dark. Duo yawned as he said, "Man, I didn't realize it had gotten so late. . .I'm so tired."

"Me too, let's head to bed." Duo gave her a raised eyebrow look and she frowned, growling, "In our separate rooms. . ."

"I know, I was just kidding." Duo said, hugging her and leaning his head against hers.

"You know, you're getting taller again, I do believe we're the same height. . ."

"Really? Maybe I'm just growing on your love. . ." Duo purred, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. She smiled and said, "Maybe. . .or maybe you've just been eating a lot more than usual. . ." She poked his belly and he laughed, poking her back and starting to tickle her. She ran quickly to the elevator and jumped in, trying to leave without Duo. But he jumped on and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close and smiling at her.

"Don't, that's my job. . ." Duo cooed, smiling as he released her and reached for the pulley rope. She backed away and relaxed as Duo pulled them up to the huts.

"Relena, I think I'll be fine, you don't have to tuck me in. . ." Heero complained as Relena helped him sit down on his bed.

"I just want to make sure you make it just fine." Relena said back.

"I'm fine, let go." Heero struggled to get free of her grip.

"But I want to help, please?" Relena tried to hold on. They struggled a bit and Relena tripped, falling on Heero as he fell back against the bed. She pushed herself up a bit, Heero holding onto her arms as she stared into his eyes.

"Okay, so. . .now what?" Heero said, not caring that Relena was lying on top of him.

"Uh. . .I. . .um. . .go to. . .uh. . ." Relena stuttered.

"Bed?" Heero finished her sentence.

"Yeah, that's it. Heh, you're so smart, Heero, I don't know what I'd do without-" Relena laughed nervously. Heero suddenly slipped his hand behind her head and pulled her head closer to his, his lips meeting hers in a passionate and deep kiss. She started to melt into his embrace as his other hand slipped over her back and pulled her closer to him, his feet kicking off his shoes quietly. Her hands eased up to his head and she ran her fingers through his hair, getting into the long, breathless kiss. Finally they broke for air, gasping and taking in oxygen, looking deep into each other's eyes passionately.

"Relena. . ." Heero panted, scanning over her face to capture and remember the adoring expression on her face.

"Heero. . .I. . .I should go to. . .bed. . ." Relena said slowly, out of breath as well. Heero ran his hand down farther as he said, "Please. . .stay with me. . ."

"Heero, I can't. . ."

"Why. . ." Heero gently caressed her neck with kisses as her mind ran wild, trying desperately to remember the reason she had for not staying.

"I. . .I can't. . .do this. . ." Relena said quietly, trying to refuse but longing for him to continue.

"You don't. . .seem to be. . .hating it. . ." Heero said between kisses, starting to move up to suck on her ear. Her eyes widened and she said, "Please, Heero, stop!" He leaned back and stared into her eyes, saying, "If you don't want to do this, then leave now. Go, just get up and walk out the door." Relena looked sad as she said, "I can't, Heero. . .my body wants this. . ."

"Then what's the problem. . ." Heero moved in to start again.

"I don't want this." In confusion, Heero sighed and leaned back again, saying, "Wait, you don't want this but your body does. Relena, you have control over your body, that's what your brain's for."

"But that's the thing, Heero, I'm trying to convince myself to leave but I can't move. Every time I try to focus on pushing away, you kiss me and my mind goes in a million directions; I can't concentrate."

"Relena, just relax, it's just feelings, not a commitment or anything. . ." Heero said exhaustedly.

"Heero, what do you think your kissing is leading to? Your hand under my blouse? My blouse on the floor with your pants? Nothing on our bodies but each other's skin. . ."

"Stop, you're turning me on. . ." Heero said, starting toward her again. Finally, she put her hands on his chest and pushed him back, saying, "No, this isn't right."

"What's not right? As long as it makes us feel good it's right, so what's the big deal, it's just sex. . ."

"You say that so casually, Heero! It's not just sex, it's not just some great feeling you get, it's important!"

"Important?" Heero blinked blankly.

"Yes, it's the reason people get married, it's how people end up having children, it's how husband and wife share their eternal bond and love each other with no boundaries. . ."

"One time can't get you pregnant, Relena, don't worry."

"Yes it can, Heero, don't be so naïve. I don't care if you've slept with other more than willing women and had no problems but I will get pregnant and what then? We're too young to be getting married and I will not except just being together when I have a child, I want to be married."

"Relena. . ."

"I don't care if you're experienced, I'm still a virgin and intend to stay that way until my wedding night when I share that special moment with my husband. Sex is not just something you do when you feel horny or you just feel like you need a quick fix of a good feeling, it's not a drug."

"Relena. . ."

"And I don't care how much you beg me or try to seduce me I will not have sex with you until I see a gold band on my finger!"

"RELENA!" Heero shouted, sounding aggravated.

"What!"

"I've never had sex. . .I'm still a virgin." Relena stared blankly at him and said, "You. . .are?"

"Do you honestly think I would have time to do that? Relena, you're the first woman I have fallen in love with and felt this way about, and you'll probably be the last one too. . ."

"Heero. . .then can't you wait? Don't you love me enough to honor how I feel about this?" Heero sighed and said, "If you really want to wait, fine, I will too." Relena smiled and kissed him, saying, "Thank you, Heero, you won't regret this."

"I'm sure. . ." Heero groaned. She sat up and he grabbed her waist again, saying, "But. . .can't you stay here. . .tonight?"

"Heero. . .it would leave too much temptation. . ."

"I guess you're right. . ." Heero sighed and leaned his head against her chest, saying, "This isn't easy. . ."

"I know. . ." She stroked his hair as he let her go, leaning back and resting against his elbows sadly. She stepped away from the bed, her hands clutched to her pounding chest as she stared into his eyes distantly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight, Relena." Heero said dully, pulling his feet up into the bed as he stretched out and sighed again. Relena backed up to the door, leaning her hand against the doorframe.

"I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me, I'm just not ready for this. . ." Relena said, looking down in shame. He looked over at her, saying in a gentle voice, "Don't be sorry, I was forcing something on you that you weren't prepared for, I should be the one apologizing. I don't want to mess up our relationship just because of my overpowering desires."

"I wish I could do something, really I do but. . .I'm afraid if I let you go too far. . ."

"I know. Let's just. . .forget about it, okay?"

"Okay. . .good night, Heero."

"Sweet dreams, Relena." Heero whispered. She smiled and stepped out the door, slowly closing it behind her.

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Oh Heero, I want to give you what you want but I can't. . .it's just not how I am. . .Relena thought as she looked up and sighed, finally stepping away from the hut.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the wake up song from a local Christian radio station down here where I live. I also don't claim that Quatre ever visited Germany and I don't own that country or any of the millions of caverns there. . .

Chapter 31

"Hey, Heero, rise and shine!" Duo called out from Heero's door rather obnoxiously. Heero didn't move as Duo frowned, glaring at the back of Heero's head. "OZ IS ATTACKING, HIDE!" Duo screamed. Still no response. Duo frowned more now as he tapped his foot on the floor incessantly. Finally, another idea popped into his head and he gasped, saying, "Oh, Quatre, you shouldn't be making out with Relena behind his back, he'll find out! OOP! Did I say that out loud?"

"Duo, go away." Heero moaned. Grinning, Duo strolled over to Heero's bed, saying, "Ah, so you aren't dead, good!"

"No, but I was ignoring you so get a clue and leave me alone."

"I see someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed! Come on, Heero, it's 11 in the morning! Don't you think you've slept enough?"

"11 A.M.?" Heero showed some interest in the time.

"Yes, 11:24 to be exact, so WAKE UP, LAZY BUTT!" Duo yelled. He jumped up onto Heero's bed and began bouncing up and down, singing, "♪Good morning, good morning, good morning, it's time to rise and shine! Good morning, good morning, good morning, I hope you're feeling fine! Get up, get up, get out of bed! Get up, wake up you sleepy head!♪-" Heero growled and swung his leg up, smacking into Duo's leg and tripping him. Duo tumbled off the bed and hit the floor with a thud and loud complaint. Groaning, Heero pulled the covers over his head and turned to the wall. Duo jumped to his feet and glared at Heero, saying, "Sheesh, some people. . ."

"Go away. . ." Heero moaned.

"Awe, come on, wake up! It's a beautiful day today! The birds are singing, the sun is shining!" Duo cheerfully chirped, tugging at the sheets to get them away from Heero.

"Noooo. . .leave me aloooone. . ." Heero whined, grabbing the pillow and throwing it at Duo, whapping him in the face. Duo bopped Heero back and said, "Bum, get up!"

"OMAE O KOROSU!" Heero yelled, his death threat muffled by the bed.

"I don't care, get your bum butt out of this bed now and greet the new day!"

"Hi day, nice to see ya, bye." Heero vaguely waved his hand in the air sarcastically before snatching the sheets back and wrapping up in them.

"You look like an overcooked burrito all wrapped up like that." Duo commented, glaring at Heero wrapped up in his brown sheet and not giving a care.

"Yippee. . ." Heero grumbled.

"A sarcastic burrito, too. Man, you're worse at waking up than I am!"

"That's nice." Heero said, pretending to show interest.

"I'm telling on you if you don't get up!"

"I'm tired, Duo, let me sleep." Heero groaned. Sighing, Duo said, "Well, is it my fault you had to chase after me last night? Noooo. . ."

"Don't mock me, baka."

"Who said I was? Look, we're having breakfast and Rachel told me to wake you up."

"I'm not hungry."

"Liar, you're a guy, you're always hungry. Besides, she made omelets and yummy, crisp bacon with all the ketchup you could want!" Duo said dreamily, licking his lips in anticipation.

"You eat eggs with ketchup?" Heero asked, sounding disgusted.

"Oh, knock it off, it's good! You need to eat to get your strength back and you know it! Now, get UP!" Duo yanked the sheets off Heero and rolled him off the bed by accident. With a thump, Heero landed on the floor. Eyes wide and jaw clenched, Duo said quickly before running out the door, "Uh, see you at breakfast, BYE!" Before Heero could get up to beat Duo into a pulp Duo disappeared out the door.

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I wish I would have killed him all those chances I've gotten. . .why did I waste them? Heero thought to himself as he got up, feeling a pain in his side from the fall. He limped slowly out the door and composed himself before anyone saw him coming out. Approaching the table, he saw Relena sitting between Quatre and Rachel, chatting quietly. He stared blankly at her for a moment before taking a seat across from her, not giving her a second glance.

"Hey, Relena stole my seat!" Duo complained as he walked over with his plate.

"Oh, is it really that important? Go sit next to Heero and eat, we have stuff to plan today." Rachel said, putting a forkful of omelet in her mouth.

"But. . ." Duo glanced at Heero out of the corner of his eye. Rachel waved him off and he grumbled over to the last open seat by Heero, plopping down and eating quickly. A few minutes later everyone was finished and ready to start their planning. They gathered in Duo and Quatre's room and sat in a circle to discuss everything in a debate.

"Okay, so we're in agreement that it's not safe here anymore, so does anyone have any ideas of a new sanctuary for us?" Heero started the talk.

"Most of my old hiding spots have been found so I'm out." Chang said.

"I only have one hiding spot." Trowa said bluntly.

"I'm new here." Rachel said with a grin.

"I used to hide out with this guy I know but I haven't seen him around in a while so I guess that's out." Duo said.

"Howard?" Rachel whispered to Duo. He looked surprised for a minute but remembered that she pretty much knew everything, so he just nodded.

"Do you have any places in mind, Quatre?" Heero asked.

"Well. . .not really, I usually just hang out with the Maganacs. . ." Quatre said.

"Someone has to have somewhere to go, anything?"

"Don't ask us, Treize would find us in no time." Zechs commented about himself and Noin.

"I know."

"Wait! I do know of a great place!" Quatre shouted suddenly. Everyone stared at him and he blushed, clearing his throat.

"Well, do tell." Chang said sarcastically.

"There's a cave I found one time. . ."

"We were there earlier, remember?" Heero cut him off.

"No, not that one! There's another in a very remote spot in Germany, it's called the Attahöhle."

"Where in Germany is it?"

"Attendorn, it used to be an attraction about 100 years ago but it's been deserted a long time, I doubt Treize would even think of looking there."

"That's true, I don't think I've ever heard of that place." Noin said.

"How long do you think it should take us to fly there?" Heero asked.

"Uh. . .well, maybe a week?" Quatre said, making a face. Heero stared blankly at him for a minute before turning to Rachel and saying, "You don't suppose you could teleport us there, could you?"

"Maybe. . .I don't think I could because I don't know what it looks like!" Rachel said.

"Have you been there, Quatre?"

"Yes, I visited there about 5 years ago, it's very beautiful." Quatre responded.

"Can you read his mind and use his memories to show you the entrance of the cave?"

"I don't know, I've never tried that before." Rachel said, looking a bit surprised.

"Well, try it, it's our only choice at the moment, seeing that either way, you'll have to use your powers to get us there since we can't stop for fuel."

"True. . .I suppose I could always try." Rachel said, thinking about it.

"So, if there's no objections, we should start out as soon as possible. I'll be in my room getting updated information on Treize's battle plans." Heero said and stood up, walking out of the room. Everyone started talking about the trip as Rachel sat next to Quatre.

"You okay with this? I mean, I am going to be reading your mind." Rachel said.

"If it's the only way then yes, go ahead and do it. Just. . .don't read too much into it?" Quatre said, looking slightly nervous.

"I'll try not to, I've never done this before and I don't know what will happen so. . .hopefully I won't fry your mind." Zechs looked up at her comment and said, "Wait, now I remember where I've seen you before."

"Huh?" Rachel turned to him and saw the shocked look on his face, "Uh oh."

"You used your powers to control me so you could free that boy. . .it was Heero!" Zechs stared at her with wide eyes as his memories came back to him.

"I thought I told you to forget about it. . ." Rachel said, looking innocent.

"I. . .I almost got killed because I didn't know where I was going."

"I was worried that you hadn't made it out but I had no choice, I had to go."

"But you used me like a puppet."

"I'm sorry, it was the only way I could get away from you without hurting you!"

"Physically." Zechs glared at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since that day I've been having migraines that leave me incapable of fulfilling my duties, because of you I can't think too hard about something without my brain throbbing."

"I said I was sorry." Rachel muttered.

"If you're so sorry, then fix it before it gets any worse."

"How do you know if it will get worse?"

"Because, it has been. The first few days it wasn't that bad but it's been getting progressively worse to the point I can't even recall memories without getting a headache."

"I don't know what I can do about that, but I'll try to figure out something to do." Zechs looked away and continued his conversation with Noin. Relena was watching the two argue and said, "Rachel, I was wondering, is this as good as your powers will get?"

"What do you mean?" Rachel said in confusion.

"I mean, you can't do much without passing out eventually, can't you. . .practice or something? Control your energy usage so it goes farther?"

"That's a good idea but I don't think now is the time."

"Attahöhle is the perfect place to concentrate, it has thousands of caves and underground springs for you to find peace in, especially my favorite part of it." Quatre said with a smile.

"Oh? Hmm. . .I'll look into it, perhaps you can show me around so I can find my Yoda spot." Rachel laughed.

"Yoda? Don't you mean yoga?" Duo asked.

"Uh. . .no, nevermind, it's an inside joke." Rachel giggled and sighed.

__

I guess they don't have Star Wars in their universe, what a shame. . .Rachel thought as she grinned.

The group gathered into the three planes they had; Noin went with Trowa and Chang and Zechs went with Relena and Heero while Rachel, Quatre, and Duo stayed together. All the Gundams and supplies were packed and ready to go while Rachel figured out what to do about the 'going' part.

"Okay, so you're sure you're ready for this, Quatre? I'm not guaranteeing that I won't mess up your mind looking for what I need." Rachel said to her blonde haired friend, looking a little unsure about the situation.

"I understand, I'll try not to make it hard for you by thinking too much." Quatre said with a smile. Rachel laughed and said, "Alright. Just think of the entrance to the cave and I'll take it from there." Quatre nodded and Rachel stepped up to him, placing her hands on either side of his head and closing her eyes. He did the same, looking a bit uncomfortable about it. Duo watched as Quatre's face contorted into a frown of discomfort then slowly melted away into nothing as Rachel searched through his memories, looking for the perfect place to teleport to.

__

I hope this works. . .Duo thought as Rachel finally took a chance and teleported the three planes. They appeared outside of a large cave opening that was over 60 feet high, big enough for the Gundams to easily get in and hide. The crews of the planes departed in their Gundams to follow Quatre into the caves while Noin piloted Rachel's gundam, since Rachel had passed out.

"Are you sure you're alright, Noin? From what Heero told me that thing has a mind of its own." Zechs said over the comlink, sounding concerned.

Oh, she's really rather nice if you get to know her! We've been having a pleasant conversation about you guys. Isn't that right, Verein? Noin said cheerfully.

Affirmative, Noin.

"You're talking to a computer? Are you feeling well?" Zechs asked.

Yes, I'm fine. All that I had to do was shutoff the automated systems and it was smooth piloting ever since. She's really sweet, I think she's worried about Trowa, though. She thinks she hurt him.

"The computer has emotions? I don't know if that's a good thing."

Well, no, but she knows that her control system injured him, it's not so much concern as a question if he is still alive. Noin said, laughing slightly.

"That's strange, how can it have its own mind? Programming?"

I don't know, Trowa told me that Rachel built it.

"She must be some genius then, Treize would have a field day if he knew about her."

Is that why you decided to stay?

"The last thing this war needs is a fleet of independent Mobile suits capable of making decisions on their own."

Well, she can't do everything on her own, you have to program her first or just tell her what to do, she's not completely independent but close to it.

"That's enough to worry me." Zechs said seriously. Sandrock stopped suddenly in the front of the parade through the caverns and he called back to the group, "Okay, this is one of the largest caverns in the cave, any others aren't accessible with our Gundams. We can set up camp here for the night and explore a bit while we're here."

"Right, line the Gundams against the walls in the shadows and set up camp nearby; I saw a good lookout spot near the entrance I'd like to check out so I'll be back in a few minutes." Heero said. Wing turned and headed back as the Gundams lined up as told and the pilots hopped out. Tallgeese set Relena on the ground after carrying her on its right palm and lowered its left hand to the ground, allowing Duo to take Rachel from its palm where she lay for the trip inside.

"Verein's quite an interesting Gundam, very polite too." Noin said with a smile as she approached the group gathered at Tallgeese's feet.

"It sure didn't seem that way when I piloted it." Trowa muttered.

"She told me that you said to activate the automatic systems, so she just obeyed your order. She didn't mean to hurt you, it's just how she was programmed." Noin explained.

"I never told her that, I might have thought about it in my mind because I figured that's what they were but it wasn't a request."

"She just misunderstood, as long as you tell her to deactivate her mental command system she's a pretty safe suit to pilot, and quite a smooth ride I might add. I think she has shocks in her legs or something. . ." Noin looked back at the still suit towering over the others and smiled.

"Well, how about that camp, let's set up!" Duo said cheerfully, running to his gundam to retrieve the crates he had brought in with them. Quatre stepped forward to help but cringed, a slight pain in his abdomen. He touched it as Trowa walked up and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just hungry, that's all." Quatre said with a smile. Trowa nodded and said, "Me too, let's get camp set up then we can work on lunch."

"Right, let's go help Duo before he gives himself a hernia!" Quatre laughed. As Trowa walked away, Quatre moaned quietly, the laughing making the pain more irritating.

"Rachel's been asleep for a long time, is she okay?" Noin asked as she looked over at the sleeping girl lying on a cot a ways away.

"Yeah, I guess the trip really tired her out." Duo said. He yawned and Chang walked up, saying, "The sun has gone down, I suggest we get sleep while we can."

"That sounds like a good idea, I am a bit sleepy." Noin yawned.

"Do you think Heero's going to come back soon? He's been gone for hours. . ." Relena said, sounding worried.

"He's probably on guard at that watch spot he said he saw, don't worry." Duo said, stretching.

"I'm still worried, what if OZ found us again?" Relena asked, looking nervously at the cavern passage.

"I doubt it, this is a very exclusive spot that he never would suspect us to be. We should be reasonably safe here." Zechs said, reassuring his sister. She nodded and walked over to him, leaning into his built frame as she sighed. Zechs wrapped his arms around her and held her as she began to doze off in his strong embrace.

"Awe, ain't that just adorable. . ." Duo mocked, grinning at the siblings. Zechs glanced up at him and back down at his sister, saying, "Relena, you should get to bed, you need your rest."

"Okay. . ." She muttered, still leaning against him. He realized she was half asleep already and bent over, scooping her legs up in his arm and carrying her over to the tent containing the cots.

"Goodnight, Relena." Noin whispered, smiling.

"Well, let's go, Wu-m. . .Chang. Heh, can't help it." Duo chuckled as Chang glared at him.

"Slip up again and you'll be sleeping for an eternity." Chang threatened, walking toward the tent.

"Awe, would you lighten up? You need a nickname, it builds character!"

"The only thing building up his my rage, so shutup, Maxwell."

__

Those two probably won't admit it but they're close friends, I can see it in how they act around each other. It's almost. . .cute. . .Noin thought with a grin, following them to the tent.

"Quatre, are sure you're feeling well, you didn't eat much for dinner. . .or lunch." Trowa said quietly as he walked up to his friend standing alone by the passage, facing away from him.

"Yes, I'm fine, I just wasn't that hungry after all. Do you suppose Heero will come back sometime?" Quatre finally turned and faced Trowa.

"Probably not until morning." Trowa answered simply. Quatre sighed and said, "I think I might stay up for a little bit before I go to bed, just to clear my thoughts."

"Don't stay up too late." Trowa said before turning to leave. As Trowa reached the tent, Quatre moaned and thought, _This isn't hunger. . .it hurts too much. . .what's wrong with me?_


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. I don't claim that Quatre would do as he is doing in this story, he is not normally so. . .um. . .horny? '. . .oye, I need some help.

Chapter 32

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Man. . .what time is it? My head hurts. . .Rachel opened her eyes to find it almost pitch black except for a dim light coming from far away. She sat up and looked around, seeing everyone sound asleep on their cots. Blinking to adjust her eyes to the darkness, she stood up and walked toward the source of the light. Whispering, she said, "Verein, why do you have your targeting lasers on?"

I was told to-

"Shh, lower the decibels a bit, okay? People are sleeping." Rachel hissed. In a lower tone, Verein started over.

I was told to turn them on.

"By who?"

"By me." Rachel turned and saw Quatre walking up.

"Quatre, what are you doing up? Do you know what time it is?"

3:45 P.M.

"Thank you, Verein." Rachel sighed.

"I can't sleep, did the light wake you?" Quatre asked.

"No, I just woke up, no reason. It should be daybreak in about an hour, Chang usually wakes with the sun but since he can't see the light maybe he won't." Quatre nodded and turned away, saying, "I thought you might not wake up again, you've been sleeping since lunchtime."

"Yeah, that teleport and mind reading really wore me out, I should work on my power limits. . ." Rachel giggled.

"Since neither of us can sleep, would you like me to show you my favorite part of these caves? It's not far away, just about 10 minutes walk but it's worth it."

"Sure, lead the way!" Rachel smiled. They walked off into the cave, quietly strolling through the passages and finally coming to the place Quatre had mentioned.

"Can you illuminate the cavern?" Quatre asked.

"Sure, here." Rachel stretched out her hand and a small ball of light formed in her hand, floating out into the room. Suddenly, the walls of the cavern lit up in a brilliant golden glint of calcite crystals formed on the walls, reflecting the light in all its glory. Rachel gasped in amazement as she whispered, "Oh Quatre, it's beautiful!"

"So are you. . ." Quatre whispered. She looked at him in surprise as she said, "What did you say?"

"So, you like the view? It's called Kristallpalast, crystal palace in English in case it wasn't clear enough before."

"I see. . ." Rachel eyed him briefly before looking back at the cave. Quatre glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he said, "It's very old, takes a long time for those crystals to form. . ."

"I'm sure. Maybe we should head back to the cavern, it might be getting to morning and I don't want them getting suspicious of anything."

"Right. . ." Quatre turned and Rachel displaced the light into the darkness as she followed him, leaving the walk back darker than before. As she came up behind Quatre, he stumbled in his step a bit as he clutched his stomach, moaning in pain.

"Quatre!" Rachel exclaimed, running to catch him before he fell to the ground in agony.

"I'm fine, don't wo-" Quatre tried to wave her off but the pain was unbearable. She laid him down and began to unbutton his shirt. He grabbed her hands as he said, "What are you doing!"

"Trying to get a better look at what's wrong, now hold still." She finished unbuttoning his shirt and touched his stomach. He moaned as she said, "Where does it hurt?"

"Rachel, please. . ."

"Tell me." She said sternly. He hesitated for a minute before reaching his hand down to his abdomen, a bit below his belt. She starting undoing his pants and his eyes widened.

"Rachel?" Quatre exclaimed as she pulled his pants down a bit to get to the source of the problem. She touched his skin as she said, "Don't move, I think I know what might be wrong. . ." Suddenly, her hand melted into his skin and seemed to disappear inside his body. With a nervous gasp, Quatre cried out in pain and surprise. She stayed still for a few minutes as she probed for the problem until she found it and quickly solved it. Pulling her hand back out, she said, "I was right, your appendix was inflamed and close to bursting, if I hadn't gotten in there you might not have lived long." He stared blankly at her as he sat up, looking deep into her eyes with fear and nervous sweat rolling down his cheek. She leaned back and said, "You're okay now, don't look so scared."

"You undid my pants. . .and my shirt. . .just like that. . ." Quatre said, his chest slowly rising and falling with each of his deep breaths.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want you to die! Quatre, what would you have rather me done!"

"Kiss me. . ." Quatre leaned toward her, his hand quickly slipping behind her head.

"Wha-" She tried to protest but it was too late. His soft lips met hers and he leaned in more, passionately kissing her lips and pulling her close to him. She melted into his embrace, losing her mind in the feverish passion building inside her, a hot chill running from her lips down her body. She fell back against the ground, feeling Quatre's hands working their way through her hair as her own hands ran up his arms to his sweaty blonde locks. His right hand slipped down to her waist as he pulled her up to his body, kissing her neck as her head fell back limply, letting out a light gasp.

__

Oh my gosh. . .I can't get away from his. . .warm lips. . .where am I. . .Rachel's thoughts were lost in her equally lost mind as she tried to come to her senses.

"Say something. . ." Quatre whispered in her ear, gently blowing into it, giving her chills.

"I. . .I love Duo. . ." Rachel muttered, her eyes glazing over.

"Do you always hide behind that line?" Quatre said, nuzzling her cheek with his nose before kissing it. He took a deep breath and kissed her shoulder, his left arm wrapping around her back and caressing her shoulder blades in slow passing massages. Her eyes widened as he gently bit her shoulder, moaning slightly.

"Are you gonna eat me now?" Rachel said in a spacey sarcasm. Quatre couldn't help laughing as he said, "Maybe. . .you taste good. . ."

"That's surprising since I haven't had a shower in over a week. . ." Rachel muttered.

"Mmm. . ." Quatre licked her ear and she said, "Why don't you just get out a fork and knife and dig in already?"

"I don't have any silverware on me. . ." Quatre whispered.

"I have a knife in my pocket and it's good for carving up back stabbing, so-called friends." Quatre looked up to see Duo's silhouette a few feet away. Rachel looked at him upside down as she gasped, saying, "Duo. . ."

"I thought you loved me, Rachel. . .all this time when I've been feeling bad for doubting you you've been making love to Quatre behind my back. I should have known it was too good to be true."

"You don't deserve her, Duo, at least I understand her. . ." Quatre said, his voice low and his eyes staring into Duo's soul through the darkness outside and within.

"I'll kill you." Duo growled.

"Oh yeah? Who's gonna believe that I was making out with your girlfriend? No one listens to you, you're nothing but a troublemaking orphan, no one wants you around." Quatre grinned maniacally.

"No. . .it's not true, Quatre stop. . ." Rachel gasped, looking desperately at Duo. Turning, Duo ran away back to the cave, not looking back once as he disappeared into the darkness. Rachel pushed Quatre off and scrambled to her feet, running after Duo as Quatre followed her all the way back to the cave.

__

This isn't happening. . .Rachel thought as she saw Duo staring down Zechs who looked less than threatened.

"What are you talking about! She was in your head, she controlled you!" Duo screamed.

"You're just jealous because she wants me more than she cares to even look at you." Zechs responded. He looked toward Rachel, just now noticing her presence in the room as Duo looked as well. Quatre stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his body as he kissed her shoulder again, glaring darkly at the two feuding men.

"Quatre, get off of me!" Rachel writhed free of his grip and ran away, stopping in the middle of the three testosterone driven males as she panted for air, looking wildly around the love triangle she had gotten herself stuck in.

"What's going on? Zechs?" Noin walked toward them, hearing the argument and becoming curious.

"You don't want me, your minds are just scrambled! I can fix it!" Rachel shouted. Trowa sat up on his bed and looked over at the conversation, wondering what was going on. Finally, the whole group was up and confused by the fight.

"I'm perfectly fine, there's nothing wrong with me. . ." Quatre said.

"No, you're wrong, I don't understand why but it's something having to do with my powers. . ." Rachel said desperately.

"Your power over me is all that I can feel. . .you can't help being so attractive you know. . ." Quatre stepped toward her and she backed away.

"No, stop, this isn't happening!" Rachel clutched her head in her hands, her mind reeling with confusion.

"You've been dreaming of me, you should have known this would happen, your dreams don't lie. . ." Zechs said. Rachel looked up at him suddenly, saying, "How did you know about that dream?"

"Dream! You've been dreaming about him!" Duo glared at her as his fists balled up tightly at his sides.

"No, it's not like that, please stop this!"

"You can't stop a deep feeling, it's not possible." Quatre said, inching toward her again.

"Back off, Blondie, she's mine. Besides, what do you have that I don't have ten times better of?" Zechs shot at Quatre.

"You're blonde too, you baka! You're obviously too thick headed and vain to even understand what she wants, so you back off!" Quatre yelled back.

"You're all thick headed!" Rachel screamed. Zechs went for his gun as Quatre tackled him and started wrestling with him over the weapon. Rachel stared on in horror as bullets flew here and there, coming close to killing both of the boys. Rachel looked up at Duo, starting to run toward him as she said, "Duo, it's not real, it's all in their heads! Please, believe-" One of the stray bullets hit her in the side and she collapsed to the floor in pain, screaming in agony. Duo stared wide-eyed at her, unable to move.

"Rachel! This has to stop, somebody do something!" Relena said, her hands over her mouth as she bit on her fingers in fear.

"Zechs, stop this! You're an OZ Lieutenant, you were trained to respond to situations with dignity and POISE! This is NOT dignified!" Noin yelled to the mess of blonde hair and hormones rolling across the floor.

"What are you doing, you're not children, stop fighting over Rachel like she's a prize to be had!" Chang yelled.

"This isn't like Quatre, why's he acting this way?" Trowa said as he stared at the quarrel on the ground. Slowly, painfully, Rachel reached out to Duo, saying weakly, "Duo. . .please. . ." He didn't respond as he stared blankly at her. Struggling painfully, Rachel managed to get to her feet as she stumbled a bit and walked toward her Gundam in a zigzag path.

"Rachel, where are you going?" Relena called out.

"Can't. . .take. . .this. . ." Rachel muttered through her clenched jaw, her eyes wide with shock. Blood fell to the ground leaving a small trail from where she had fallen over to the feet of Verein as Rachel climbed into the cockpit and started it up. Like a wild lightning bolt, she took off out of the cave and through the passage, heading for the open air. She nearly collided with Heero's gundam as she busted out into the early morning sunlight.

"What the. . .where's she off to?" Heero said aloud as he watched the crazed looking Gundam swerve back and forth through the air until finally it took a nose dive into the ground, tumbling over onto its back and laying motionless with its crunched face staring up at the dark sky. A storm was brewing outside and thunder shook the ground, echoing through the cave in a low rumble. The cockpit slowly opened on Verein and Rachel climbed out, closing it again and sitting on her Gundam's chest hunched over with pain. Heero walked out to the entrance of the cave, watching as the sky grew darker with morbid looking clouds, almost shadowing Rachel's feelings.

__

What's going on? Doesn't she even realize she's out in a storm? Heero thought as he blinked, staring blankly at her. Finally she sat up, her head falling back as a ear-shattering scream exploded from her mouth, almost in timing with a lightning bolt that strike the ground, shaking the cave. Heero's eyes widened as he watched bolt after blinding bolt of lightning struck the ground around Rachel's Gundam, forming almost a electric tornado, ripping the ground up in its wake. Heero heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Relena running frantically up to him.

"Rachel!" Relena screamed. The ground began to quake under their feet and Relena fell into Heero's arms. They collapsed to the ground and Relena held onto Heero as they watched rain begin to fall, soaking the dark world outside.

"Is she doing this?" Heero whispered as he watched on in horror, lightning striking the cave and cracking huge boulders from the face of the opening. Relena screamed as Heero pulled her back out of harm's way, nearly being crushed by falling rubble.

__

My sorrows have come to devour me alive. . .Rachel thought as she stared up at the sky, watching a huge bolt of lightning crash down on her, sending electricity surging through her body. With a another shriek, her eyes flashed white, light pouring out of her body and swallowing the landscape in its brilliance. Heero and Relena shielded their eyes from the hurtful glow as the earthquake came to its apex and caused more of the cave walls to crumble to the ground. As quickly as the sudden disaster began it ceased, leaving dust and light fading showers behind as a vague reminder that it wasn't a dream. Heero weakly opened an eye to peek out at the destruction left behind, seeing a vague glow still out in the darkness.

"R. . .Rachel. . ." Relena muttered, struggling to sit up but collapsing in helplessness. The glow grew brighter as it approached the cave, revealing it to be none other than the one they had been calling to all along.

"What happened to her?" Heero said, astonished and shocked senseless. Looking like a lifeless shell, Rachel's body floated through the cave over the couple's heads, illuminating the way back to the campout.

"Heero, we. . .we should. . ." Relena gasped.

"Come on, we'll follow her." Heero said, getting up and helping Relena to her feet. They ran as fast as they could to catch up to their friend. Returning to the camp, they watched as she fell to the ground.

"Rachel!" Quatre exclaimed, running over to her. He collapsed at her side, reaching down and pulling her into his lap, looking into her colorless eyes with a gasp.

"You shouldn't have touched me. . ." She muttered breathlessly. Blinking in confusion, Quatre frowned and said, "But. . .wh-" Suddenly, with a agonizing scream, Quatre's back began to shutter. Like a burst of light, long and brilliantly white wings grew out of his back, flying out and slowly floating to the ground as Quatre gasped and fell over, beginning to tremble in shock.

"What the HECK!" Chang exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise at the sudden angelic form Quatre had taken on. One of Quatre's wings fell over his body and concealed him from sight as he moaned and whimpered in fear. Duo slowly walked out from the tent, staring blankly at the sight before him, an emotionless look on his face. Relena started toward Rachel but Heero grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Heero, she needs help!" Relena exclaimed, fighting to get free.

"No, I don't want the same to happen to you, don't touch her!" Heero demanded, pulling her roughly back into his arms. Relena began to cry as she stretched out a hand, the other struggling to pull Heero's arms away from her. Zechs cautiously approached the winged boy laying finally motionless on the ground by Rachel, saying, "Quatre?" He knelt next to his body and gently touched the wing draped over his face, pulling it back to reveal a surprising sight. Relena gasped, whispering, "Oh my gosh. . .he's. . ."


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: yawn I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters and I am not responsible for retardedness of writing due to the hour I am up writing this. looks at clock that says 4:09 AM Oo passes out

Chapter 33

"He's. . .older. . ." Heero finished Relena's sentence, also equally shocked. Noin ran over to Zechs, saying, "Zechs, no, you'll-"

"It's okay, I think it only worked on Quatre, what ever it was." Zechs said, rolling over the older, taller boy laying on the floor unconscious.

"Is this really happening?" Relena asked.

"I don't know. . .but this is weirder than I'd like it to be."

Slowly, Rachel sat up and groggily rubbed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened. It took a second for the memories to come back as she looked around in a daze, seeing a man sitting a ways from her, wings arced over his head, slowly stretching and flapping in an exercising motion. Blinking, she stared harder at the blonde haired figure as she thought, _Who's that? He looks. . .familiar. . .could it be-_

"Quatre?" She whispered. The wings paused as the man slowly turned, his sad green eyes glaring into her eyes. She blinked in surprise.

"What have you done to me?" Quatre asked. His voice was lower, but still had his familiar friendly tone in it. Rachel looked him over. He was definitely older, there was no doubt about that. He raised a hand to his nose length blonde bangs, brushing a few back futilely as they fell back into his face. Standing, Rachel walked toward him, saying in a cautious voice, "You. . .you're. . ."

"Older? So are you, if you haven't noticed yet." Quatre said, looking her over as she had just done to him.

"What?" She formed a reflective surface in the air and stared at herself, her eyes wide in surprise. She touched her cheek, saying softly, "I am older. But. . .how?"

"I was hoping you'd know, since I also seem to have grown wings." Quatre flapped his wings up and down, looking at them loathingly. She looked down at his wings and then at her own back, noticing a pair of her own being present.

"I don't understand, why do you have wings? What happened?"

"I have no idea but I can also do this." Quatre raised his palm to show her a sphere of water in his hand, rolling around and floating up and down then vanishing as he balled his hand into a fist.

"You have powers!" Rachel exclaimed, sitting next to Quatre on the cot, touching his hand. Quatre looked down at her hand, whispering, "I'm glad my shirt was too big for me so I fit in it now, but the pants are a different story. I had to pull the cuff at the bottom out so they weren't so short." Rachel noticed how tight his pants looked and quickly looked away, blushing a bit.

"I'm sorry, this must be my fault. If I can figure out what went wrong, I can fix it." Rachel said. Quatre gently cupped her cheek in his hand and pulled her face back to him, saying, "I don't think there's anything you can do to change this. Besides, I don't think it was your fault."

"What. . .do you mean?" Rachel looked into his eyes, still feeling dazed as she swooned a bit. Quatre held onto her, looking deep into her eyes as he said, "It was my fault, because Duo caught me kissing you."

"No, it's my fault, you don't really love me, Quatre." Rachel shook her head slowly, still staring into his eyes.

"I'm suppose to be the one to be in denial about my feelings, not you. . ." Quatre leaned toward her to kiss her but heard a throat clearing. He looked up to see Heero staring down at him.

"Back off, Quatre, she's not yours." Heero said. Quatre's eyes narrowed and he said, "What do you want?"

"Nothing from you, I would like to speak to Rachel, if I can pull her away from your horny lips for a few minutes." Heero grunted. Rachel gently pushed Quatre away and stood up, wobbling as she walked toward Heero. She stumbled into Heero's arms and moaned, her eyes closed as the world began to spin. Quatre glared at them and said, "Right, you just want her for yourself. Does Relena know about this?"

"Shutup, I don't care if you're out of your freakin' mind, I won't go easy on you if you say things like that to me." Heero walked away with Rachel and went to the far side of the tent, sitting down on his cot with her and letting her lean on his shoulder.

"Heero, what have I done. . ." Rachel muttered weakly.

"Nothing, at least not on purpose."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think this was all an accident. Trowa told me about how he felt after you had healed him all those times, the Goosebumps and chills he got off and on. You've healed Quatre a lot too, he may be responding to it like Trowa was."

"No, Trowa didn't want to do what he did, he told me so, it was subconscious. Quatre doesn't seem to realize he's acting strange or feeling different."

"He may be responding to it differently than Trowa had. Trowa doesn't understand love so he probably didn't know what it was he was feeling, but Quatre's different. He's more. . .in touch with his feelings."

"Possibly the side affects personified his feelings, causing them to turn from a friendly concern for a friend into a hormone driven desire for sex."

"Something like that. Whatever you did to Trowa I suggest you do to Quatre and Zechs soon before they start at each other's throats again." Heero said, glancing over at Quatre who was watching Zechs talk to Noin.

"You know about that?"

"Trowa told me."

"Trowa told you a lot, huh?"

"We had a long talk, yes."

"But I don't understand, I've only healed Zechs once, how could the affects have grown so rapidly?"

"You controlled his mind, that might have made his mind weaker and more susceptible to your powers."

"Possibly. . .well, I don't know what I could do now, I'm so disoriented I can't risk getting close to either of them for fear that they may take advantage of my weakened state and. . .well. . ."

"You need your rest so you can take care of them, but don't delay it too long, Quatre has an edge over us with his new found abilities and he might get it in his head that he can use them for whatever he wants."

"True. Perhaps. . .you can stay with me while I rest. . .just to keep me safe?"

"I don't have anything else to do, but maybe you should ask Duo to protect you, he may prefer to be your guardian."

"But. . .he's. . ."

"Sorry?" Rachel looked up to see Duo standing in front of her, looking sad. She sat up and said, "Duo, I'm sorry!"

"No, it's not your fault, I need to stop jumping to conclusions and trust you more. I should be the one apologizing for leaving you with him." Duo said, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hands in his.

"Duo. . .I. . ."

"I won't let him touch you again, okay? You'll be safe with me."

"Duo. . ." Rachel leaned forward into Duo's arms, hugging him as tears welled up in her eyes. Heero stood up and began to walk away.

"Heero, keep an eye on them, make sure they don't get anywhere near each other." Duo said over Rachel's shoulder. He nodded and walked on, searching for Relena. Duo got up and sat next to Rachel, letting her lay her head in his lap, gently stroking her long golden hair off her face, saying, "You're beautiful, no matter how old you are."

"But I'm older than you now. . .doesn't that bother you?"

"Well, I guess you'll have to do whatever you did again so I can get older too." Duo grinned softly, resting his left hand on the cot and leaning on it, tilting his head to the side and smiling down at his girlfriend's face as he softly ran his fingers through her hair.

"I don't know if I can but I'll try. . ." Rachel said, smiling as well as she drifted off to sleep again.

Rachel woke to the sounds of feuding people somewhere nearby, feet scuffling around and banging sounds emanating from somewhere close. She opened her eyes and raised her head to see Zechs and Quatre going at it again with Heero desperately trying to separate the two.

"Oh no, not again!" Rachel said, jumping to her feet. She ran to the battle and yelled at them to stop, but they didn't listen. Quatre started using fireballs to attack Zechs and fend off Heero, wildly flapping his wings as he began to hover over the men.

"Rachel, I can't stop him, do something!" Heero yelled, finally getting smacked in the face by one of Quatre's wings. He tumbled to the ground and barely dodged an attack from flying flames. Rachel raised her hands to Quatre and screamed, "Stop this, NOW!" Suddenly, he froze, falling from the air and hitting the ground hard. Quickly, Rachel ran to him and grabbed his head with her hands, going through his mind to return him to normal as he screamed and writhed to get away. Finally, he stopped fighting as she let go and said, "Quatre, how do you feel now?" He stared blankly at her, a little shaken up as he said, "W. . .where am I? What's going on?"

"Zechs is running." Heero said bluntly as he watched the tall man take off away from the group. Rachel didn't waste her time explaining things to Quatre as she bolted after Zechs, quickly tackling him and reaching deep into his mind to fix it. But he struggled and threw her off as he screamed, "Stay out of my mind!"

"Zechs, please, let her help you!" Noin called out as she ran up to him. She tried to grab his arm to stop him but he swung back and knocked her to the ground. She painfully winced, her gaze downcast in shame. Pausing, Zechs stared at Noin.

"Noin. . .I. . ." He realized what he had just done, quickly stooping down to help Noin up.

"Zechs. . ." Noin looked up pleadingly into his eyes and he paled, seeing through the fear in her eyes that something was wrong with him and it was affecting more than just himself. His head began to pound and he clenched his jaw, grabbing his head and hunching over, groaning and saying, "My head. . .it feels like. . .it's going to explode. . ." Gently touching his shoulder, Noin said in a caring voice, "Let Rachel help you, she can make the pain go away."

"No, she caused this pain to come in the first place! moan I don't trust her. . ."

"It wasn't intentional, she never meant to harm you and I'm sure if she knew this would happen she would have been more careful."

"Yes, I am sorry about what happened, I had no idea this would happen. If you would let me right my wrong, you'll be free of this torment in no time, I promise." Rachel said, stepping forward with her hand out in sincerity and a look of regret on her face. Zechs shook his head as he moaned.

"Please, I can't watch you hurt like this, Zechs." Noin begged, looking close to tears. Zechs looked into her eyes, seeing her pain caused by his refusal to be healed and began to think.

__

Noin's being hurt more than I am because of my stubbornness, why? I. . .I can't make her suffer, I can't do that to her. . .not her. . .

"Do it quickly, before I change my mind. . ." Zechs grumbled, conceding to his defeat. Rachel reached down and touched his head, reaching deep into his subconscious to free it of her power hold. With a groan of agony, Zechs tried to pull away. Noin gently put her hands on his chest to stop him from running and he froze, staring into her eyes.

"Zechs. . ." She softly spoke in a slightly stern tone.

__

Why can't I fight her? I never can. . .her voice is entrancing and her ways are gentle and caring. My heart pounds with the very words she speaks to me, my lungs fill with the air of her sweet voice, my eyes drink in her beautiful smile like life-giving nourishment to my body, soul, and mind. . .I think I love her. . .

"You should feel better now, Zechs." Rachel muttered, standing and looking at the ground. Duo slowly walked up to her and watched as she began to wobble and fall to the side. He ran to her and caught her before she hit the hard rock ground, holding her tightly in his arms and stroking her hair out of her face.

"That's enough for you today, let's get you to bed so you can rest and get your strength back." Duo cooed, picking Rachel up and carrying her off to the tent area to lay her down. Zechs leaned into Noin's arms, feeling the pain in his head easing away as he sighed in relief. Shocked at first, Noin stared at him but she slowly put her arms around him and cradled his form in her lap.

"Rest, Zechs, you've been through a lot and deserve a long nap." Noin whispered to him.

"Thank you, Noin." Zechs whispered back.

"For what?" Noin blinked in surprise.

"For caring about me so much." She smiled and said, "Anything for my superior." Zechs sat up and took her chin in his cupped palm, staring deep into her eyes and saying, "We're no longer in OZ, you can call me. . .Milliardo now. . .we're equals." Wincing a bit, he fell forward again into her lap and passed out, leaving Noin to stare down at him with a soft expression on her face.

"Milliardo. . .so you're not hiding anymore. . ."

"So Quatre, um, how are you feeling?" Relena walked up to the morbid angel sitting on a cot farthest away from Rachel, staring at the ground. He had been sitting like that for almost an hour and Chang swore he hadn't blinked once. Without moving, Quatre said, "I want to die."

"Well too bad, we won't let you." Chang said from his guard spot a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest as he relaxed against the side of the tent. Relena glared at him for a second before softening her face and saying kindly, "It will be okay now, Quatre, Rachel knows that you didn't mean what you did." Suddenly, Quatre flew up from his cot and glared angrily at Relena.

"It's NOT okay! I'm a freak of nature with wings coming out of my back that I can't make go away and powers that I have NO idea how to control and you try and tell me it's okay! How can it be!" Quatre yelled, tears brimming his sleep deprived eyes.

"Welcome to my world, Quatre." They all turned to see Rachel staring sympathetically at him, her eyes glistening with tears as well. Quatre looked ashamed and embarrassed as he said, "Rachel, I didn't mean to call you a-"

"A freak? It's quite alright, I've been called one before for being obsessed with Gundam Wing, everyone thinking it was odd that any person would want to waste their life watching an animated TV show, downloading picture after picture, writing stories about the series, dreaming of the characters, falling in love with them. . .it doesn't really bother me. I mean, what's a world without freaks? It's not like I'm alone in my obsession, there's plenty of others out there who are worse than I am. I suppose it was my strong desire to meet you in person, to actually bring you to life that brought me here, my deepest wishes to be with a guy like Duo came true through my ceaseless devotion to the series. . .and to him. If the only thing holding me back from being with my fantasy friends and family is being forced to live as a freak then I will gladly take whatever 'if', 'and', or 'buts' come with it if it means being with all of you for even just this week. One day would have been enough for me but this. . .this has truly been a blessing from God, he let me stay this long and who knows how much longer! I can only pray for one more second with you, one last breath of your air before I must return to my less than wonderful reality. I don't regret having to be this way for a second because I know that it doesn't make any difference to you whether I'm a freak or not. Right. . .guys?" She looked sheepishly down at the ground, wiping the tears from her eyes as everyone stared at her in surprise.

"Wow. . .I didn't know you cared that much about all of us! I'm so honored. . ." Relena said, blushing a bit.

"You care that much about all of us, even with what you've had to go through?" Quatre said, still looking unbelievably shocked. She laughed, saying, "Yes, despite the numerous threats to my life and 'interesting' moments I still wouldn't trade you guys in for anything."

"Not even for a nice, HUGE bowl of Pistachio ice cream?" Duo asked, hugging Rachel from behind. She giggled.

"No, not even for my most favoritest ice cream in the entire world! I can't hang out with a bowl of ice cream, ya know, it's gonna melt eventually." Rachel winked and grinned at Duo. He hugged her tighter and kissed her cheek as everyone smiled at her, feeling a small emptiness inside them being filled by her undying love for them. Even Chang couldn't help smiling at his newfound friend for life.

__

How someone can grow so attached to someone in less than a week is beyond me but. . .I guess anything's possible. Chang thought, shaking his head as Duo started tickling Rachel and making her let out quite a squeal, dashing off out of reach and keeping just out of arms length of Duo as they ran around the cavern, their friends happily laughing at them as they watched them, forgetting all about earlier mishaps.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters OR the song "Truly, Madly, Deeply" By: Savage Garden. This is a particularly romantically sappy chapter so beware those who are faint of stomach!

Chapter 34

"So do you think I can have some powers too? It might be fun to be able to teleport wherever I want to or read people's minds. . ." Duo said with a grin as he hugged Rachel. They were sitting together at the opening of the cave staring at the stars, watching them twinkle in the sky overhead.

"They're not for your pleasure, Duo. I was given these powers for a reason, not just to find out the secret behind why Chang's so stubborn. . ." Rachel said, elbowing Duo gently. He chuckled and let go of her, laying back on the cold rock floor and placing his hands behind his head, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. Rachel smiled at him and leaned back against her elbows, searching the sky for familiar constellations. A gentle breeze blew in, making a slow howling noise as it blew through the cavern and over and through its numerous cracks and crevices. Finally, Rachel laid back and folded her hands over her stomach, watching as a shooting star fell through the darkness, making her heart skip a beat.

"Cool, did you see that?" Duo said, pointing in its general direction.

"Yeah, did you make a wish?"

"Huh?"

"On the shooting star, did you make a wish? That's what I always do when I see one, wish for something I really hope to happen or want to come true."

"My wish already came true." Duo smiled at her. She blushed and gazed away at a different part of the sky. She saw another flash of light streak across the sky and said, "Wow, there's another one!"

"And another, look." They stared at the blackness slowly being covered with white rain as a meteor shower started up, gradually getting faster and more beautiful by the second. Duo scooted closer to Rachel, leaning his head close to hers as he said, "Almost looks like the sky is falling, huh?"

"I guess, it's so cool that we're lucky to be here to see it."

"Yeah. . .kind of makes me feel like singing." Rachel looked over at him and said, "What did you have in mind?"

"Well. . ." He looked up at the sky with a smile, letting a little dramatic suspense fill the air first before he began to sing, "♪I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need. I'll love you more with every breath, Truly, madly, deeply do. I will be strong, I will be faithful, 'cause I'm counting on. A new beginning, a reason for living, a deeper meaning, yeah.♪" He paused to smile at her as she wrapped her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder. Continuing with a flutter in his heart, Duo sang, "♪I want to stand with you on a mountain, I want to bathe with you in the sea, I want to lay like this forever, until the sky falls down on me.♪" Rachel lifted her head, saying quickly, "My part!"

"Go ahead." Duo softly smiled. Snuggling up to Duo again, Rachel sang, "♪And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky, I'll make a wish, send it to heaven, then make you want to cry, the tears of joy for all the pleasure in the certainty, that we're surrounded by the comfort and protection of the highest powers In lonely hours. The tears devour you.♪" They both closed their eyes as they sang together in perfect unison, "♪I want to stand with you on a mountain, I want to bathe with you in the sea, I want to lay like this forever, until the sky falls down on me.♪" Looking deep into Rachel's eyes, Duo softly uttered, "♪Oh can you see it, baby? You don't have to close your eyes 'Cause it's standing right here before you. All that you need will surely come. I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need. I'll love you more with every breath, Truly. . .madly. . .deeply. . .do.♪" He tilted her chin up with his finger and leaned in, gently kissing her lips. Softly touching his cheek, she eased into the kiss, not wanting to break away until the sky truly did fall down on them.

"They act like long lost lovers, despite only truly knowing each other for a week now. Do you think it will survive the battle?" Zechs asked, watching Duo and Rachel together under the stars. Noin stood next to him, her arms crossed as the cold breeze blew by her, rustling her long slate blue bangs.

"For them I hope so, they're so deeply in love it's amazing they made it this far through all the emotional and physical struggles they've been through." Noin said. A swift, chilly breeze whipped by them, causing Noin to shiver a little. Zechs quickly unbuttoned his uniform jacket and took it off, draping it over Noin's shoulders. She looked up at him in surprise and said, "Thank you, Zechs. . ."

"Please, call me Milliardo, I want to get away from my OZ past now that I'm free from my pact with Treize."

"If that's what you want, Milliardo it is." Noin smiled. She pulled at the edges of the jacket, trying to close the opening so the wind wouldn't get in and freeze her. Zechs reached out an arm and put it on Noin's shoulder, pulling her gently against his side so that the opening was against him, keeping out the cold. She blushed slightly, saying, "Milliardo. . ."

"Is something wrong? If you don't want me to. . ."

"No, I. . .I have a question." She looked up into his eyes.

"What is it?" Milliardo asked, meeting her gaze.

"Just before you passed out earlier, you said we were equals. What did you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said, I'm no longer in any authority over you so you're free to do as you wish, you don't have to follow any of my orders ever again."

"But. . .what if I want to be under you?" Milliardo blinked in surprise, saying, "What do you mean?"

"Milliardo, you're the heir to the Peacecraft monarchy, I want to help you regain that power to bring peace to our world again!" Milliardo's face fell and he looked away, saying, "I can't do that, Noin."

"What? What are you saying, that you won't stop Treize and end this war for the good of all the innocent lives at stake?"

"That's not it, I would gladly help the rightful heir to the throne accomplish just that but it's not my place to do so."

"Why?" Noin asked, looking confused.

"I ran away from my family, gave up on a life of peace and became a killer, murdering innocent lives and coming out of this war with hands permanently stained with bloodshed and tears. Who am I to promote such things as peace and happiness when I have done nothing to protect it in the first place? I'm nothing but a miserable soldier and I have no right to be a king of a land I helped bring down, that's a job for someone with a pure heart, unsoiled by murder and deceit and still deeply caring toward the people and their feelings. That is something only Relena has the ability to still achieve and has any hope of accomplishing. I can only hope that I can still help to bring her dreams of a peaceful future to life." Noin looked down, understanding his feelings about taking control of the world's destiny. She reached up to his hand holding her shoulder and squeezed it, smiling at him as he looked down at her.

"Then I will help you assist Relena to achieve peace and prosperity however I can."

"Noin, you don't have to. . ."

"Do you not want me to? If that's the case you can just say so, I won't feel hurt."

"No, that's not it. It's just that. . .it might be dangerous and I don't want you to risk your life for me."

"If I choose to risk my life for you I have every right to, you can't stop me."

"I don't want you to, I'm not worth it."

"You are to me." Milliardo stared into her eyes, seeing a familiar sparkle he had seen in Relena's eyes when she'd look at Heero. Blinking, Milliardo said, "You. . .you love me?" She looked surprised and lowered her gaze in embarrassment.

"Was it that obvious?" Noin asked, sounding slightly sarcastic.

"I saw it in your beautiful eyes." Milliardo lifted her gaze back to his and whispered, "I have felt the same for quite a while, I just didn't think it was appropriate to tell you since we were working together in war scenarios most of the time if not all the time."

"Milliardo. . .I. . .I wish you had told me before, even if we did work together."

"Why?"

"Because I wouldn't have had to wait so long to do this." Stretching her neck out and raising up on tiptoes, she kissed Milliardo's lips so tenderly he immediately melted into her touch, pulling her closer to feel the full intensity of her soft yet powerful kiss. Finally they parted for air and gasped, breathlessly looking deep into each other's eyes and feeling their deep desires fulfilled after so long.

"Noin. . .I never thought I'd see this day. . ." Milliardo whispered, gently resting his forehead against hers with his eyes closed, breathing heavily.

"I didn't either, at the rate we were going I thought you'd end up killing yourself in that Mobile Suit of yours with what it put you through the first time you flew it! I was so worried. . ."

"I'm sorry if I scared you, I never meant to. If it will make you feel better I won't fly it anymore."

"No, you're used to its controls now, it's alright. As long as you don't go boosting the engines on that thing. . ." She grinned. He chuckled and said, "Good idea, I should do that right now."

"So you're going to leave me for your little toy in there?" Noin said, pouting her lips and giving him puppy dog eyes. He smiled and said softly, "I wouldn't leave your side for anything."

"Not even to save your sister?"

"You know the answer to that already, no need to be silly with the questions. . ." She giggled and cuddled into his arms, letting him hold her warmly and rest his cheek on her head and enjoy the soft touch of her hair. They gazed over at Duo and Rachel finally and saw them in each other's arms watching the meteor shower and slowly falling asleep.

"Do you think that falling in love might be a bad thing during a war?" Noin asked softly.

"I think it's too late to turn back now, we've sealed our hearts with our kiss and stated our feelings toward each other. Nothing can end our love but death and still it will go on through the ages. . ." Milliardo whispered.

"You're always so poetic, Milliardo, I love how you say things. . ." Noin smiled.

"You mean like 'your eyes are like mesmerizing portals into your deep well of love that brings the very whole of me to life out of my morbid obscurity'?"

"Yes, like that. How do you ever think these things up?" Noin giggled.

"It just comes naturally, like my love for you. . ." He gently nuzzled her forehead with his and cooed softly, squeezing her slightly and sighing. She snuggled into his display of affection and said in almost a purr, "Oh, Milliardo, this seems almost as a dream. . ."

"A dream come to life." He tilted her chin up with his hand and kissed her again, slowly and deeply into the dark of night.

"Heero, can I speak to you alone?" Chang walked up to his friend who was speaking to his girlfriend quietly and tried not to barge in too much.

"Of course, I'll be back, Relena." Heero excused himself and followed Chang over to the Gundams where it was quiet and they were out of sight. Turning to Heero, Chang said, "She can share her powers, do you know what this could mean for us?"

"It was a freak accident, Quatre was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Heero said monotonely.

"I think if she tried she could recreate the same actions that caused it to happen in the first place so that the rest of us could gain powers as well, it would make us unstoppable by any of Treize's plans of attack."

"She wouldn't be able to withstand so much power drain, plus there's 7 other people here and it would take forever to give everyone powers. It's a waste of time, Chang."

"I don't think it is. Besides, the women don't have to have powers and I don't trust that supposed ex OZ lieutenant as far as I can kick him."

"I still don't think Rachel's quite up to that much work, it really wore her out the last time, after all she has been weak all day."

"That's because she had to stop those idiots from killing each other, otherwise she might be strong enough to do this."

"I'll have to ask her, I'm not going to force her to do this if she doesn't feel she can."

"Heero, you're getting soft, actually caring about how she feels about this idea." Heero frowned and said, "How would you feel if we suggested to you to plant Nataku in the middle of an OZ base and detonate it?"

"Don't you dare bring Nataku into this conversation." Chang growled.

"Then think of other people's feelings, not just your own." Heero said and began to walk away. Chang grabbed his arm and said, "Heero, think about it, we need to do this."

"When you prove to me that it is truly needed, I'll convince her that. But until then, get over it." Heero pulled his arm free and walked back to Relena. As Heero sat down, Relena said, "What was that about? You look upset."

"It was nothing, where were we?" Heero quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, I was talking about my lineage. Since I'm one of the living members of the Peacecraft family, I was thinking about how my father might like it if I continued his strive after peace. Do you think it would even be possible at this point or have the people of this planet completely lost any idea of or hope for peace?"

"I thought Zechs was your brother, wouldn't he be next up to succeed in the power?"

"Well, I suppose. But he doesn't seem to want to take this burden on, like he would rather work under people than have people working for him. I'm not sure how to explain it."

"I can see that. Plus I honestly don't trust him, he was practically Treize's second in command and a loyalty like that isn't so easily destroyed by just the shattering of a helmet."

"He could be a great asset to us, Heero, you must try to find some reason to trust him. I trust him because he is my brother and I don't believe someone of the same blood as me would lie or betray me."

"If you trust him then I will try, but it won't be easy since he hasn't done much to prove his loyalty."

"I know, please try, Heero."

"I will, for you." Relena smiled and hugged him, snuggling into his shirt and sighing.

"Thank you. . ." He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead, whispering, "I love you." Into her ear. She happily moaned and let Heero hold her in his arms for a while, until something might happen to interrupt their happy moment together. And then, the happiness broke.


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or anything remotely related to it unless I made it up. This chapter's rather confusing for those who don't think like me so. . .that would mean pretty much everyone would be bewildered by my elucidation of this interval in their lives. (Like my big words there? See, no one can understand my thinking. . .)

Chapter 35

A low rumble echoed through the cave, startling the couples out of their own little worlds. Sitting up, Duo looked out into the darkness, saying, "What was that?"

"I don't know, maybe your stomach?" Rachel joked. But Duo didn't smile. Getting to his feet, Duo stared at the sky and the stars. The glowing lights seemed to be growing larger and brighter suddenly and Duo gasped.

"What's going on?" Milliardo asked as he ran up with Noin by his side. Duo pointed out into the night and said, "See those stars? Well. . .they're getting brighter."

"I don't think those are stars, Duo. We've been found!" Noin said, turning to run back and warn the others.

"Wait, don't, I can take care of this!" Rachel said, looking serious in what she had said.

"What are you talking about, you can't even teleport without passing out! How do you expect to fight a fleet of mobile suits!" Duo said, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Trust me, I can do this." Rachel said. She turned toward the opening and put her hand up. Duo quickly grabbed it and pulled it down, saying, "No, I can't watch you do this to yourself again! We'll just fight them, it shouldn't be that hard."

"Duo, listen to me, this is my choice and if I choose to save you no matter what happens to me then I will. My love for my friends comes first, even over my own life."

"But Rachel. . ." Duo looked concerned and saddened by her decision. She kissed him on the lips and let her hand slide slowly down his cheek as she gave him a sympathetic smile, whispering, "Don't worry, I won't hurt myself." Duo let out a quiet whine as his eyes pleaded with her to reconsider, but she shook her head. Looking back at the sky, she saw the stars had turned into faint spotlights as they drew closer to their location. Raising her hand again, Rachel closed her eyes and stood still. The group around her waited in anxious silence as the lights came closer and closer to them. Finally, the suits were in view. It was a group of five Leo model suits, most likely a scout team sent out to search the area. Duo held his breath as they landed by the cave and several of the soldiers came out to search the area. Guns in hand, they came toward the cave, looking cautiously around and staring at the opening. Duo started to reach for his gun but paused as Rachel slowly shook her head. He blinked and watched as the pilots stopped just 5 feet from them, looking around as if they couldn't come any closer. They patrolled the parameter of the mouth of the cave and finally left a few minutes later. As they reentered their suits and flew off into the night sky, everyone seemed to let out a soft sigh of relief. The scout team no longer in sight, everyone turned to Rachel as she lowered her hand and sighed, wobbling a bit as she opened her eyes and smiled at Duo.

"What just happened?" Milliardo asked, looking shocked.

"I made an illusion that there was a rock slide covering the opening so they couldn't come in, so they figure if they can't get in then we can't either." Rachel said, leaning against Duo slightly in exhaustion. Duo held her in his arms and said, "Well, does that mean they won't be back?"

"Maybe, Treize might think that we could have sealed the cave so that no one would think we are inside and send another team out to excavate the site." Rachel said sullenly.

"That's true, so we should expect another disturbance in at least two or three days." Milliardo said.

"Should we leave then?" Noin asked.

"No, it's okay, I can finish my business here before then and they won't know what hit them." Rachel said quietly.

"Business? What are you talking about?" Duo asked, looking confused.

"Chang knows. . .after all, it was his idea. . ." Rachel grinned wryly. She closed her eyes and let Duo carry her back into the cave as the group retreated to their encampment for the night. Duo laid Rachel down on a cot and sat next to her, watching her stomach slowly rise and sink in her sleep. He had a blank expression on his face as he thought about what she had said. Heero walked up and said in his usual monotone voice, "What happened outside, I felt a tremor like incoming engines."

"It was a scout team sent by Treize, but Rachel convinced them that the entrance to the cave was blocked by a rockslide. She figures they'll be back in a few days to excavate the cave and see what's inside. Hmm. . ."

"What." Heero knew he was thinking about something when he said "hmm".

"Well, she said something about having enough time to finish her business here. I don't know what she's talking about but she said Chang would know and smiled kinda funny after she said that. Do you know what she's talking about?" Heero frowned and said, "Possibly. Excuse me." He walked away, leaving Duo with even more to ponder over. Searching for his Chinese friend, Heero wandered toward the Gundams again where they had met last to talk.

"Chang, come out here, I have something to ask you." Heero said, figuring Chang was somewhere within hearing range. Like a cat, Chang appeared out of nowhere and said, "Have you changed your mind yet?"

"You went to Rachel about this, didn't you." Heero asked sternly, glaring at Chang.

"What are you talking about, I haven't been alone with her for. . .well, I never have so when would I have time?"

"Duo just told me that Rachel mentioned something about having some business to take care of and you would know about it. Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Heero crossed his arms.

"I never spoke a word to her about this, honest. For all I know she could have read my mind, despite how disturbing that sounds." Chang said, frowning.

"But if she did, why does she seem to agree with you? This could kill her and yet. . .she seems determined to do it. Why would she put her life at stake just to give a bunch of people she really doesn't know power to destroy anything in sight?"

"Perhaps she sees the big picture whereas you can't see what's really at stake here."

"Don't criticize me, Wufei, I'm not in a good mood tonight." Heero threatened, narrowing his eyes as he stared at Chang.

"Are you ever? I'll ask her about her business to make certain it's my idea she's referring to." Chang started to walk toward the tent when Heero said, "Don't interfere with her plans, her business is none of yours so stay away from her."

"You're so protective of her, Heero. If I didn't know you any better, I'd think that you had a thing for her."

"I will protect what I feel is necessary for the future of the world, just as I protect Relena for her lineage I will protect Rachel for her potential in destroying any hope of a future."

"So you're guarding the good and the bad? Interesting."

"I can't allow the world of tyrants out there to find out about her, this could be very serious if word ever got out about her powers, especially after what happened with Quatre."

"True, I can understand your reasoning. But still, perhaps it would be better that we all shared in her gift so that we could guard each other's backs."

"I don't think so, if even one of us got captured then we're messed over for sure. Think about what you plan for the future of us all before you put your ideas into action, Chang, it could end up getting us all killed." Heero walked away, his face sinking back into a blank expression as he hid his anger inside.

"You'll soon be on my side, Heero, you'll see." Chang said, disappearing back into the darkness.

"Quatre, how are you feeling?" Noin asked as she knelt by his cot. He sleepily looked up at her and said in a quiet voice, "I'm not feeling well, I think I might be sick." Placing her hand on Quatre's forehead, Noin took his temperature, saying, "You do feel a bit warm, maybe you're just reacting to the new presence in your body."

"New presence?" Quatre asked, sounding confused.

"Your powers?"

"Oh, right. . .that's possible. Hey, how's Rachel doing?" Quatre groggily sat up and yawned, getting dizzy and touching his head as he moaned.

"She's alright, but I think she's off limits to you for now or until she's completely conscious."

"Why? I thought she took care of what was driving me crazy in the first place."

"Well, Duo just keeps watching you now and then and Heero has been keeping his eye on you for as long as you've been here. I'm just going by the actions of the people around you." Quatre sighed and said, "So what's the point of staying if no one trusts me anymore, I can do more for this world on my own and with my people so why don't I leave?"

"But you'd do so much more with us, with them. I know things are a bit awkward right now but I'm sure they'll get over it and regain their trust in you, you just have to be patient."

"I don't know. . ." He glanced over his shoulder at Duo and caught him watching him. He sighed and looked down in his lap, muttering, "I don't think I could live with this rejection until they trust me again, I just couldn't."

"Well, I think Rachel might trust you. Just wait until she's better and go see if you can ask her what she thinks of you, maybe it will make you feel better." Noin tried to cheer him up.

"But between Heero and Duo, I couldn't get within 30 feet of her without being stopped so how can I get close enough to ask if we could have a minute to chat?" Quatre said sarcastically, leaning his chin on the heel of his palm, sighing in defeat.

"Don't give up yet, you haven't even tried to talk to her and you're already planning out your demise."

"That's because I know it will happen!"

"Heero's nowhere in sight, would you stop exaggerating?"

"Right, if you think that's exaggerating, I predict the second I get within 10 feet of her he'll appear to stop me and send me back." Quatre said, standing up. Noin stood as well and said, "You're too pessimistic, Quatre." He just grunted and walked toward Rachel and Duo. The second he got within 15 feet of her, Heero appeared and said, "Can I talk to you, Quatre?" Quatre stopped and looked over his shoulder at Noin with a look of "I told you so" on his face as Heero dragged him off out of the tent. Noin sighed in sympathy for Quatre as she said to herself, "Poor Quatre, I guess they really don't trust him anymore."

"You don't have to lecture me about talking to Rachel, Heero, I was just trying to prove my point to Noin." Quatre said quietly. Heero stopped pulling him and stared at him, saying, "What's that?"

"That no one trusts me anymore, no matter what I say won't change what I've done in my past and so I'm an outcast now and there's nothing I can do." Heero let him go and stared at him, thinking, _Why should I punish him for being like me? I know how it feels to be an outcast, so. . .what right do I have to lecture him for just wanting to be accepted?_ Heero looked away into the darkness and said, "Sorry, I've been protecting her too much lately from more than just yourself so I guess I didn't think that you'd be over your obsession now. If you want to talk to her and do just that, then go ahead, I won't get in your way." Quatre looked surprised as he said, "Thank you." Heero just grunted and walked away to avoid the touching moment. Quatre smiled and turned back to return to his journey over to Rachel. He blinked as he looked at an empty cot.

__

Where'd they go? Quatre thought as he searched for them, looking back and forth. He glanced in the direction of the food prep area and saw Rachel starting on a meal, Duo by her side trying to convince her to rest more and let Trowa do it. She waved him off and went in search of some supplies with Duo trailing behind in defeat. Quatre chuckled and started across the tent to join them by the kitchen.

"Rachel, you really should just let Trowa fix lunch, please?" Duo pleaded.

"Duo Maxwell, are you trying to say that I can't cook?" Rachel glared at him, a spatula clenched in her fist. She was secretly amused by his concern but she wasn't about to let him know that, not before she had a bit of fun with him. He grit his teeth as he said, "No, not at all!"

"Then excuse me, I have a meal to prepare." Rachel elbowed him out of the way and hurried off to find some more rations. Duo sighed and frowned, feeling ignored. He glanced over at Trowa who was sitting nearby, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the two bicker. Narrowing his eyes, Duo growled, "What are you staring at!"

"This new sitcom, it's rather fascinating." Trowa said drolly, not smiling but having a jolly air to his voice.

"Well the TV is off now, go fix your gundam or something." Duo said, waving Trowa away as he watched Rachel coming toward the kitchen carrying a heavy crate. He jumped up and ran over to her, trying to take it from her. As they bickered more and danced around, Rachel trying to avoid Duo's grabbing hands as she scurried over to the kitchen, Trowa stifled a smile as he cocked an eyebrow at the display they were putting on. Quatre walked up to Trowa and watched as well. Looking up at Quatre, Trowa stated the obvious, "You're up."

"Yeah, I wanted to apologize to Rachel but she seems to be busy. What's going on?" Quatre responded. Trowa looked back at the kitchen as Rachel dropped the crate and it landed on Duo's foot, causing him to yelp in pain. She blinked and started asking him what was wrong as he jumped around the kitchen holding his foot and holding back curses.

"That. . .crate. . .my foot. . .I wanna kick its. . .you dropped that. . .GRAAGGGHHH!" Duo screamed, finally sitting on the ground and crossing his arms, pouting like a 5-year-old. Rachel looked even more confused by his patchy explanation as she scratched her head and said, "Um, ok then." She turned back to continue with her cooking as Duo rubbed his squashed foot loathsomely. Quatre choked back a laugh at them and crouched by Trowa's chair to hide out of sight as Duo fiercely looked in his direction after hearing the giggle.

"Are you laughing at me, Trowa!" Duo yelled.

"Do I laugh?" Trowa raised his eyebrows.

"There's always a first for everything." Duo grumbled. Rachel looked over her shoulder and said, "Duo, be a dear and get the table set up for lunch. You two can help him if you don't mind being a bit helpful." Quatre looked up at Trowa and they shrugged, getting up to help Duo set up the dining area while Rachel began cooking. Duo gave Quatre a side-glance as he said, "Quatre."

"Duo." Quatre said quietly in return.

"And I'm Trowa. What's with you two; stop being children and grow up." Trowa commented monotonely. Quatre and Duo stared at him as he went about his work quietly.

"Who's being childish? I was merely acknowledging his presence. Ignoring him would be childish." Duo commented back, setting chairs around the newly formed table with a slight bit of distaste in his movements.

"You're pretending that nothing is wrong when there's a serious issue in need of acknowledgement."

"Would you rather we duked it out right here?"

"Violence wasn't in the equation, a simple Q and A session is enough to clear the air."

"Well since we're going to be so honest with each other why don't you act a little more mature and acknowledge your issues, Mr. Hypocrite." Duo paused to glare at Trowa for more affect. Trowa blinked and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please, it's so obvious! Why can't you just give up the game and stop playing around like nothing's wrong!"

"Nothing is wrong, it's just your imagination."

"Was my imagination so incorrect about Quatre and Rachel?"

"Duo, I'm so-" Quatre looked sad yet upset that Duo was still holding onto the past.

"Forget it, Quatre."

"No, this is what Trowa's talking about! You don't want to talk about your problems with people, you just hide it inside behind your anger or humor and change the subject all the time to avoid opening old wounds that haven't healed right."

"I don't need this." Duo started to walk away.

"What are you scared of, that you might get hurt? Hasn't stopped you before." Trowa taunted his back. Duo whirled around and pointed at Trowa, shouting in a controlled voice, "You just shutup, because you don't know me! You don't know what I have had to go through! My way of dealing with things has gotten me this far and I'm not giving up on a good thing just because someone wants to have some stupid sharing fest! I don't care if you're tired of your mask," Duo pointed at his own face, "Mine's not coming off, end of discussion."

"So you admit that you're hiding."

"Duh, if it wasn't obvious enough the first time I explained it to you then let me say this: You can go-"

"Duo, now you just close that mouth of yours before I do it for you! I swear, you finish that sentence you'll be eating those words for lunch!" Rachel yelled, storming toward him. He stared at her in surprise and blinked, shocked speechless.

"She swears? More like he does. . ." Quatre mumbled.

"Quatre, Trowa, you two have no place to talk either! The three of you are making me sick with your bickering! To think that you would have the nerve to call each other hypocrites when your eyes are full of planks of your own pretense! When you are without blame yourselves go ahead and pick on each other's faults but until then keep your contradictory mouths shut! NOW, I have a meal to prepare and I'm wasting my time fussing children out for their quarreling and I'm sure you're old enough that I don't have to put you in time out so if you could PLEASE finishing setting up the dining area without talking or giving looks I would greatly appreciate it!" Rachel turned sharply and stalked back to the kitchen to continue cooking, leaving the boys wide eyed and awestruck by her exclamation.

__

Holy crud, that was scary. . .if this is how she reacts when we do a bit of kibitzing what will she do if I REALLY tick her off? Duo shuttered at the thought and quickly started setting up chairs again.

__

I was just trying to make a point, it's not my fault that Duo's so touchy about his feelings. Trowa thought, slowly scooting a chair up to the table.

__

What did she mean by planks in our eyes? I'm so confused. . .Quatre thought, his head spinning around as he tried to find the dishes and silverware to set the table.


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and I don't own any characters. This is a lot of plain dialogue cause I wanted to talk a lot, hehe. The action/adventure part of the story is coming soon, I promise! '. Someday. . .in the future. . .maybe a year from now. . .j/k. . .

Chapter 36

"What are you doing, Relena?" Milliardo asked as he walked up to his sister. She looked up from a book in her lap and closed it quickly, saying, "Oh, nothing! I was just. . .writing." Softly smiling, he tilted his head to the side and said, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, writing down thoughts. After all, you have to get your feelings out somehow." Relena looked up at him and said, "How did you know?"

"Just the way your acting gave off a hint of 'secret diary'. It's a good idea, perhaps I should do the same about my own thoughts." Blinking, Relena asked, "What have you to be concerned about? The war? Treize?"

"You?" Milliardo added. Relena blushed and looked down at her lap.

"Oh, yeah maybe that too. . ." Chuckling, Milliardo sat down next to Relena and said, "I have my own secrets too, just because I'm older doesn't mean I don't have emotional struggles and pains of my own."

"Oh I never imagined that you didn't! I can only imagine how frustrating your life is sometimes."

"I'm not sure if I want you to even try to imagine my life, it's even a shame to me when I think back at all the mistakes I've made over the years."

"But there's one thing that you did that wasn't a mistake."

"What's that?" Relena wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes, saying with a smile, "Finding me." Milliardo smiled and said as he hugged Relena back, "That is true, I am grateful I can protect you this closely now. Perhaps there is a purpose to everything happening as it has." His face contently softened as he sat quietly in Relena's arms, enjoying being with his sister without fear of interference for once.

"You can tell they're related, they act so much like each other." Noin said to Trowa. He looked up from his work on his gundam and said, "Huh?"

"Relena and Milliardo, they're both so poetic with what they say, how they feel, the way they act. . .so articulate." Noin almost seemed transfixed by the moment, looking happily at them together. Trowa paused in his work and said, "Why are you here?" She looked at him in surprise and said, "Excuse me?"

"I understand why-Milliardo, is it? I can see why he's here but why are you here?"

"Well, why are you here?" Noin asked, not wanting to make her reasons known. He looked down at his work and said, "I'm a gundam pilot, I have to be here."

"Couldn't you go back to fighting solo? Join them on the battle field sometimes like before but be by yourself. . .why join them on their confusing journey?"

"Because, she made me." Trowa nodded toward Rachel. Noin glanced at her and said, "She made you? You, threatened by a little girl? I can hardly believe that."

"I have my reasons for being here, as do you I'm sure and since you don't seem too keen on sharing your reasons what say we call it a truce?"

"Sounds fair." Noin chuckled. Trowa went back to his work and Noin watched him fiddle away with different components in his suit.

"Rachel, may I speak with you?" Chang said calmly, walking up to her as she cleaned the dishes left from lunch. She looked up from the wash basin and said, "Sure, talk away." Kneeling down to dry the dishes while he spoke, Chang said, "I was curious about what happened to Quatre, he seems to have taken on your attributes since that accident you had. Do you know how it happened?"

"Chang, get to the point of this conversation, I know what you want to ask already." Rachel said coolly, scrubbing a plate clean.

"How do you know? Did you read my mind?"

"No, I heard you talking about me one time to Heero."

"What? When!"

"A while back, you didn't know I was there. Don't worry, Chang, I think you might be on to something with your idea. Although Heero is also right about not wanting anything to change too much, you don't control a fire by turning a fan on it."

"I suppose he is right. . .but it would still be an advantage I can't just let pass us by. But the big question on my mind is-"

"Can I do it again." Rachel finished his thought. He blinked and said, "Exactly."

"I can try, but I don't know, I'd have to think about it, if I can recreate the feeling or not."

"I'm glad you agree with me, Heero's so cautious now, especially since Relena joined us."

"His heart isn't consumed with only his mission now, Relena has taken a part of him that was frozen until she warmed him with her love and care. He's in love; if you were you would feel the same, Chang."

"Women are weak, falling in love with one would only slow me down trying to protect her all the time."

"Hmm. . .you only say that because you're afraid you won't be able to keep her safe." Chang looked confused, his brow furrowing as he said, "What are you talking about, I could protect everyone here if I had to!"

"Chang, honestly, you don't have to hide your fears, it doesn't make you weak."

"I have not found a woman worthy of my attention and I doubt one exists."

"Not anymore." He froze, staring into her eyes with his own, wide and showing true fear hiding beneath his surface. Rachel could almost hear his heart skip a beat as he quickly covered his soft spot, saying, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean. Excuse me, I should help Trowa clean the sleeping quarters." He quickly stood and walked toward the tent.

"Oh Chang, what would Nataku say if you denied her existence?" Rachel whispered as she scrubbed another dish.

__

Nataku. . .Meiran. . .Chang took a deep breath as he choked back his memories of a tragic past.

__

She can get to anyone, is she a friend or foe with all her knowledge. . .it's hard to tell. Heero thought, watching the conversation from the shadows, his arms folded across his chest as he stared blankly at Rachel's back. As if she could feel his eyes on her, Rachel turned and stared at him. They met gazes for a few seconds before Rachel let a fake smile crease her lips and she returned to her work. Heero knew something was wrong but he wasn't sure if he was the one to talk to her about it. He took a quick glance around the cave for Duo but he couldn't find the braided boy anywhere.

__

I wonder where Duo is, he should be here annoying Rachel like usual. Is he up in his Gundam? Walking toward the Gundams, Heero looked up at Deathscythe and found the cockpit closed.

__

Unless he's hiding inside he's not here. He knocked on the metal foot to echo a message to Duo if he was inside. Fortunately, the hatch popped open and a head peeked over the edge of the door, a braid falling over the side limply.

"You knocked?" Duo called down, a grin on his face.

"Let me up, I need to talk to you." Heero said back. Looking surprised, Duo pressed a button, lowering the escape cord to allow Heero to come up to his level. Heero grabbed the cord and Duo reversed the pulley, hauling Heero up to the hatch. He jumped off and leaned against the doorframe, saying, "How come you're way over here and she's all alone."

"I see you don't waste any time with 'hello's or 'how are you's. . ." Duo commented, standing to enter his Gundam. He sat down in the seat and relaxed, saying, "She doesn't want me around."

"I think she does, she gave me some ridiculous smile that was blatantly forced there." Heero said, glancing over at Rachel in the distance.

"Then you talk to her."

"She's not my girlfriend, Duo. Part of being in a relationship is talking and being over 40 feet from her isn't communicating anything but 'stay away from me'. . ."

"More like 'I don't want to get killed so I'll just stay over here until you're in a better mood'."

"She doesn't seem to be in a bad mood, over there scrubbing away at those dishes like there's some contest for the shiniest dinnerware." Heero said sarcastically.

"Scrubbing away? Yeah, like she's NOT in a bad mood! Females always work on something to perfection when they're ticked, it's their way of getting their minds off of something or someone. . .like me."

"What did you do?"

"Well. . .I started yelling at Trowa because he wanted me to 'share' with everyone my personal feelings about him and Quatre. The hypocrite wants me to spill and denies hiding anything, ha, right like he's not. . ." Duo mumbled, pushing buttons and running system checks to distract himself.

"I think he just wanted to help relieve the tension, you have been cold toward Quatre ever since that 'incident'. . ."

"And? You're cold to Zechs and he didn't even do anything to you! Geez, this place is full of hypocrites!"

"And you're not one?"

"I never told someone to do anything, other than almost telling Trowa to shove it. Hey, it's not my fault he's a. . .nevermind. . ."

"Hmm. . .and what did you do to tick off Rachel?"

"She got annoyed by our fighting and screamed at us, didn't you hear her! I thought the whole world did." Duo rolled his eyes.

"I was outside patrolling the area, sorry I missed your disciplining." Heero didn't grin but the comment was made in amusement. Duo glared at Heero and he said, "Yeah, she said she'd kill the next person to speak so it was quiet for a while. . ."

"Maybe she's been a bit preoccupied by other things and you three fighting pushed her over the edge."

"Preoccupied? By what?"

"Shouldn't you know that? Being her boyfriend and all."

"Stop saying that, okay? At least I don't keep trying to nail my girlfriend!" Heero gave him the death glare and said, "What are you talking about."

"Duh, you and Relena rockin' the bed back in the tree camp, I heard you from my cabin next door."

"Sorry but nothing happened, so why don't you forget it happened." Heero said, making it sound more like a demand than a request. Duo shrugged and said, "Whatever." He looked off into the distance in thought, a melancholic look on his face, his eyes lacking their usual sparkle of life. Heero read his face for a second and said, "Finding it harder than you thought?"

"What?" Duo looked up as if he just remembered Heero was there.

"Your relationship." Duo looked away and spoke softly, "It's difficult to have one when guys keep cutting in and trying to do her, right in front of my face too. If she wants a relationship, whatever, I'll be here but I won't fawn after her while others snatch her away and throw it in my face."

"You have no faith in her, do you?"

"How can I have faith when there's nothing to believe in?"

"Isn't her love enough? Her devotion? Just curious, I don't really care if you two stay together or not but I don't want her leaving or turning against us because she's ticked at you."

"I don't know anymore, Heero. I had faith in people once but I found that to be a sad mistake on my part to even think they were honest. You can understand caution, not trusting people, only trusting yourself."

"Sometimes you can't trust yourself."

"Is this the great soldier admitting a weakness?" Duo said, raising his eyebrows.

"You're changing the subject, Baka." Heero glared.

"Sorry! Hey, I have some work to do, if you don't mind. Or were you hoping I'd go talk to Rachel so you could steal parts off my Gundam? Yeah, you still owe me for that, you thieving baka!" Heero grunted and pushed off, grabbing the escape cord and saying, "Dream on." As he leapt down to the ground, Duo shouted over the edge of his hatch, "Blast you, Heero Yuy!"

"You can try." Heero grinned, touching down and walking away.

"Did you find them?" Treize turned in his chair to the soldier standing in his office, a calm look on his face as he folded his hands and awaited a response. The soldier shifted his weight uncomfortably and said, "No, Sir, there was no sign of them in the area."

"And the cave?"

"A rock slide sealed the entrance, Sir, we couldn't get in." Treize turned casually and sifted through a pile of papers on his desk, saying, "They sealed it to conceal their presence, I want you to take an excavation crew back down there and dig them out."

"Yes, Sir!"

"And one more thing before you go, if you find Lieutenant Zechs Merquise, he is no longer part of OZ and is a traitor like the others. You find him, kill him."

"Yes, Sir."

"Dismissed." The soldier saluted and turned stiffly, marching out the door and closing it behind him. Treize slowly turned back to his desk, resting his elbows on the edge and leaning his mouth against his folded hands as he contemplated the death sentence he just served for his best soldier, and life-long friend.

"Zechs Merquise is a traitor now, should I send out a report to every OZ base to keep a look out for them in case they escape us again?" Treize glanced to the side and looked at his personal assistant, Colonel Une. She stepped out of the shadowed corner by his desk and tilted her head up, standing in attention. His expression softened and he said, "No, there's no need, they will turn up soon enough." He pushed his chair back and stood, facing Colonel Une with a soft smile.

"Sir." Une saluted him. Treize gently took her hand from her brow and lowered it, holding it lightly in his hand.

"Lady Une, you know you don't have to salute me every time I move. I was going to eat out tonight, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner?" Treize asked, his voice soothing and mellow. Une's heart skipped a beat as she tried to remain composed while saying, "But Sir, you needed some paperwork sent out before this evening-"

"I can get my Secretary to do that, I would like to discuss the future of OZ with you, if that's not too much to ask?"

"Of course not, Sir. I will clear my schedule for the evening." Une responded stiffly.

"And wear something nice, there's a French restaurant I've been dying to dine at for a while and I thought tonight was the best time as any to visit." He gently removed her glasses and said, "And don't wear these, they hide your beautiful brown eyes." She held her breath as she said timidly, "Yes. . .Sir." He carefully folded the glasses and tucked them into her hand, folding it around them and smiling. As Treize walked toward the door, he lightly ran his hand under her chin, saying, "And do call me Treize, all this formality isn't needed."

"Yes, Mr. Treize."

"Just Treize?"

"I would prefer not to refer to you so informally, if that is alright."

"If you insist, Mr. Treize it is." Treize gave her a brief smile before exiting his office. Finally letting out her breath in a quiet sigh, Une softly clutched her hand to her chest, whispering, "Mr. . .Treize. . ."


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing but I'm saving up for the box set of the series…dreams of holding it in her arms lovingly Oh, where was I? Right. . .the story. . .um, yeah, enjoy. . .goes back to dreaming

Chapter 37

"Who wants to have powers next?" Rachel announced, particularly out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" Heero asked, giving a side glance/glare to Chang who ignored it.

"Well, since Quatre has successfully gained powers like mine, I thought if I could recreate the moment that caused the transfer to happen, then I could give others powers as well, if anyone wanted to give it a try."

"I would, since you get older when it happens!" Duo grinned.

"You just don't like the fact that I'm older than you, Duo." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Duh, and I might get taller!" Duo grinned at the thought of not being a midget anymore.

"Alright, anyone else?" The group was quiet as they pondered the offer and looked at each other in wonder and confusion. Quatre looked at the ground, saying, "I'm going for a walk, I'll see you guys later." He flew off out of the cavern and disappeared into the darkness.

"I guess he doesn't want to be around for this. . ." Relena commented.

"Who would blame him, he's changed so much I wouldn't be surprised if he has some identity crisis going on." Milliardo said, looking off into the blackness after Quatre.

"Maybe if we gain powers like him, he won't feel so strange and alone. . .maybe?" Noin suggested.

"Noin, it could be dangerous. . ." Milliardo looked concerned.

"I can take care of myself, don't worry." Noin winked, reaching over and squeezing his hand.

"I would like to see how your powers work, I am willing to take part." Chang announced.

"Of course you do, since it was your idea." Rachel winked.

"This was your idea? Figures. . ." Duo muttered.

"Excuse me? What's wrong with it, you were all for it just a second ago!" Chang argued.

"Because my girlfriend aged unnaturally and I don't want to spend the rest of my life younger and shorter than her. , .you just want the power."

"It's useful." Chang narrowed his eyes.

"It's risky." Trowa spoke softly. Everyone looked his way and blinked, just now noticing his presence.

"In what ways?" Heero asked.

"Haven't you noticed the drastic change in Quatre's moods? He's usually the cheerful people pleaser but ever since that incident he hasn't been the same. Plus, he's gotten sick from something and has been hiding how bad it's gotten, so no one gets concerned. He also won't talk to me, every time I try to ask him how he feels he just says fine and finds some way of getting away from me. I think he's afraid of getting those feelings again if you try to help him, he's really scared inside, I can see it in his eyes. . ." Trowa said, a deep concern set in his voice.

"Poor Quatre, what can we do for him? I feel so bad that everyone's been ignoring him lately. . ." Relena said, a frown on her face.

"Maybe he'll talk to me. . .well, maybe not, since I caused this. . ." Rachel pondered.

"He will, he wanted to earlier." Heero commented.

"He did? When?" Rachel sounded surprised.

"Before the big fight, I stopped him but he told me his reasons for approaching you."

"Oh. . .now I feel bad, I yelled at him along with Trowa and Duo and he didn't even deserve it." Rachel sighed in sadness.

"Well then go talk to him, I'm sure he would appreciate the personal attention." Noin commented with a slight smile.

"Alright, I'll take care of that and then we'll work on this power thing. I'll be right back." Rachel stood and flew off out of the cave, searching for Quatre. As she left the cave and flew out into the open air, she looked back at the rocky cliff surrounding the opening and spotted a flash of white disappearing behind some rocks. She paused before taking off toward it, quietly approaching the rock pile as to not alert Quatre to her presence. She landed softly by it and tiptoed around before popping around the corner and saying, "Hi! Why ya hiding from me?" Quatre jumped a little and stared wide-eyed at her, saying, "How'd you find me?"

"I saw your wings out of the corner of my eye." Rachel pointed to his fairly new appendages. He looked at them in disgust and said, "I wish they'd go away, it's difficult getting around with these on my back. I can't even take off my shirt because the wings are in the way!" He frowned aggravatedly and looked off into the distance to avoid eye contact. Rachel leaned against the rocks and sighed, saying, "Well, I could show you how to take care of that, if you want some help." Blinking, Quatre looked at her and said, "I can make them go away? They're not permanent?"

"No, I don't think so, you just haven't gotten true control over your powers to do that yet. Come out and I'll show how to make them disappear." He shyly leaned farther back and said, "That's. . .okay, maybe later."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just. . .I want to be alone."

"But Heero told me you wanted to speak with me earlier, I'm here now so we can talk."

"I don't feel like talking now, I've forgotten what I wanted to say."

"Oh. . .well, we could just talk. . ."

"Can I please be alone?" Rachel looked sadly at him and said, "Do you really want to be alone or are you scared of me?"

"What? Why would I be scared of you?"

"I don't know, you tell me." He stared at her for a second before looking at the ground shamefully. He remained quiet as Rachel waited for a response, afraid of telling her the truth. Finally, he stepped forward and walked toward the cliff edge, flapping open his wings. Rachel grabbed his hand and said, "Quatre, please don't run away! I just want to help!"

"I think you've helped enough already, let me go!" Quatre said coldly. Rachel looked surprised by his sudden mood swing, slowly releasing his hand as she backed away from him. He paused, his face sinking into a sad expression as he said, "Rachel, I'm sorry. . .I. . .I just can't do this." He turned to go but Rachel spoke softly, "Do what?" Quatre kept his back to her as he stared down at the steep drop to the ground below, quietly pondering whether to take his life or not. Seeing his sadness, Rachel sat down on the ledge and said quietly, "What do you believe in, Quatre?" Confused, Quatre looked back at her, staring silently into her eyes. She stared back, saying, "I've been wanting to ask you that for a while now, since every time I talk about God you give me some blank stare or you're curious to ask about it but too scared to for some reason."

"I was wondering what you meant by 'planks in our eyes' when we started bickering."

"It's a chapter in the bible about hypocrites."

"What exactly does it say in the bible about it?" Quatre sat down on the edge of the cliff and looked curiously at her, waiting for her to explain further. She smiled and put out her hands, a small book appearing there. She flipped it open and began to read the verses with Quatre listening intently to her.

" 'Judge not, and you will not be judged: condemn not, and you will not be condemned: forgive, and you will be forgiven. . .And why do you behold the speck that is in your brother's eye, but perceive not the beam that is in your own eye? Either how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not behold the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first cast out the beam in your own eye, and then you will see clearly to pull out the speck that is in your brother's eye.' It's basically saying that if you accuse someone of something and are as guilty as them, you have no right to do that until you fix your own faults. Like if I told you that you were a freak for having those powers I would be a hypocrite because I have them too and I shouldn't even be mentioning it unless I get rid of my powers, which I don't think is possible. Does that make any sense?"

"Sure. Thanks, that clears up a lot of questions I had about earlier. Do you really believe in what it says in there?"

"Of course."

"And. . .you're a Christian?"

"Yes."

"How do you get to be one?"

"It's very easy, really. All you have to do is give your heart over to God and believe that his son, Jesus, died on the cross to pay for your sins and mean it."

"Why would someone die to pay for my sins? I don't get it, that seems kind of a lost cause if I never believe."

"He did it because he loves you and doesn't want you to spend your life in Hell, but his sacrifice can only work if you believe, or else it was all for nothing."

"Hmm. . .but, how can I tell him that I believe? If I do. . .which I'm not sure if I will, sounds a bit strange. . ."

"Just pray, speak to God with your heart and He'll hear you. Doesn't take long, just a few minutes and you're saved for an eternity. Seems like a fair trade, yourself for an eternity in Heaven?"

"I suppose. . .I'll have to think about it."

"That's alright, don't rush it unless you really think you're ready."

"Thanks. But. . .why would you want me to live forever after what happened?"

"I forgive you, it wasn't your fault in the first place. Besides, it would be stupid to hate you forever when you're such a nice person." Rachel smiled. Quatre smiled too and said, "You're nice too." They just smiled at each other for a while until Quatre looked away, saying, "Shouldn't you be getting back? I'm sure Duo's anxious to get those powers."

"I'm sure he is." Rachel laughed, "Are you going to stay out here?"

"Yeah, I just feel like being alone for a while. Is that okay?"

"Of course, I have my alone times now and then, why shouldn't you! Well, I'll see you later, don't stay out here too long or I might start to get worried about you." Rachel winked. She stood to leave and Quatre looked up, saying, "You don't have to worry about me."

"I can't help it, I worry about all my friends. See ya!" Rachel took off and flew back inside the cave as Quatre watched her leave.

__

I feel like I've known her all my life. . .but really she's just a stranger with a good heart. I'm glad we crossed paths. . .Quatre looked down at the ledge and saw the bible still laying open to the page last read. Blinking curiously, he picked it up and began to flip through the pages, reading some of the marked verses to himself.

"Alright, I think I'm ready to do this, are you ready?" Rachel looked at Duo who seemed slightly nervous about the upcoming experience.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Duo laughed nervously, grinning with a fearful look in his eyes that he quickly covered with an eye roll.

"Just remain calm, it will all be over in a few minutes. . ."

"That's what I'm afraid of. . ." Duo muttered, swallowing hard. Rachel nodded to the others, ready for anything to go wrong. Closing her eyes, she let the feelings of earlier wash over her body, filling her with the same morbid solitude that caused the storm to strike her in the first place. Finally, she exploded with a burst of white light, illuminating the entire cave with her brilliance and blinding everyone. The light slowly faded and left her glowing form floating over the ground, waiting for Duo to take the intense power from her. Cautiously, Duo approached, a little afraid of what might happen as he stretched out his arms to take her from the air. The second his hands rested on her body, she dropped down and into his arms, briefly looking into his eyes before passing out. He held his breath, waiting for his body to explode with wings and extreme growth spurts. But nothing happened.

"Duo, do you feel any different yet?" Chang asked, looking confused.

"Not really, did something go wrong?" Duo said, looking up and then back down at Rachel. He touched her cheek gently as he thought, _Does this mean it was just a fluke? That we're stuck this way forever, separated by ages unnaturally forced upon us? I don't know if I could live like that. . ._He sighed and pulled her up against his body, resting his head on her shoulder as he felt like crying out of frustration.

"I guess it was a one time thing. . ." Relena said, feeling sorry for Duo. Heero watched quietly, feeling that it wasn't quite over yet.

"Rachel. . .why. . ." Duo whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek. As if fell, silky soft caresses of pure white touched his face and he gasped. Looking up, he found wings forming around them and hiding the world from him.

__

Are those. . .mine? Angel wings? I would have figured I'd have bat wings or something. . .Duo thought, feeling a bit dizzy suddenly. He began to swoon when Chang walked up to him and held him up, saying, "So it did work. . .amazing. . ."

"I hope. . .I'm at least taller after this. . .ugh." Duo let out one last humorous comment before going unconscious.

"So if she passes out every time she gives someone powers, that means that it will take at least 6 days to give everyone powers. This is going to take far too long." Heero commented.

"Treize has most likely sent out an excavation team by now and our cover will be blown before she's completed her task at hand." Zechs said.

"Don't worry, I can keep guard while she's busy, if I can just figure out how to do that first." Quatre appeared in the room, landing softly and walking toward them. Trowa blinked and stared at him, noticing the odd presence of perspiration on his face since the room was at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit at the moment and not hot enough outside to cause it. He walked toward him while the others seemed to ignore his presence as they discussed the possible attack to come.

"You can't do that." Trowa said quietly, looking emotionless. Quatre looked him in the eyes and said, "Why not? You don't think I'm as strong as Rachel?" Trowa reached up and rested his hand on Quatre's forehead, saying, "That has nothing to do with your physical condition, which is my main concern." Nervously, Quatre backed away from Trowa's hand and said, "I'm fine, it's just a cold."

"Colds don't give you burning fevers and fitful rests, Quatre. You're sicker than you think and it's not good to just ignore that fact."

"Stop worrying about me, I'll be fine, okay?"

"Why do you suddenly close out everyone who's concerned for you? Why are you hiding from us?"

"Who's us? No one cares about me so what's the big deal?"

"I care, Noin cares, Relena cares, Rachel cares. . .pretty much everyone cares but they might not show it all the time." Quatre looked away and said, "It doesn't matter, I'll be fine so just stop talking about it like I have some life threatening disease."

"Maybe you do, we won't know unless you tell someone and get it checked out."

"Just drop it."

"How long do I have to drop it? Until you drop? Until you're half dead and convulsing on the floor? Tell me, how long?" Quatre stared at him blankly for a second before Trowa said quietly, "I might not show it all the time but I am concerned for my friends' well beings. So don't tell me not to care cause I can't do that." He turned to walk away, but heard Quatre moan and turned back to look at him. Quatre looked sick to his stomach as he finally conceded to his illness, his legs getting weak beneath him. Trowa stepped over to him, coming to his side just in time to catch him as he fell.

"T-Trowa. . ." Quatre gasped, his eyes narrowed painfully.

"You'll be okay, I'll get someone to check on your health for you, perhaps Noin or Zechs has some medical training." Trowa said, holding Quatre's overly heated body tightly and securely.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing but I did create the different look to the characters, I did not copy the styles from anything but my own mind. . . (As demented as it is, hehe. . .)

Chapter 38

"Squadron leader, this is left flank leader, we have the cave in our sights, shall we move ahead?" Calls rang over the communication systems of the approaching planes as their mobile suit escorts led the way back to the cave.

"Proceed with caution, we don't know what type of fire power they may have accumulated beyond 5 mobile suits and the Tallgeese." The squadron leader responded, checking the radar screen for any signs of activity. The man turned to an officer standing about looking over a clipboard of papers and said, "Soldier, go down to the maintenance deck and call our mechanic to the floor."

"Yes, Sir!" The soldier saluted and ran to the door out of the command deck. The leader turned back to the window and watched the clouds float past them swiftly as he ran their plan of attack through his head over and over making sure it was flawless.

"Lieutenant Otto, Lieutenant Caster wants to speak with you on the command deck!" the soldier called out as he ran up to the chief mechanic who was halfway under a mobile suit repairing it. He rolled out on his roller board and said, "Now? I have to repair this suit before we get to our destination!"

"I'm only here to relay orders, sir." The soldier ran away to return to duty and left Otto to sigh and wipe his hands clean before making his way to the command deck. He walked onto the deck and said, "You called me, sir?" the Lieutenant in command turned to Otto and said, "Yes, I wanted you to modify all the suits to combat the Tallgeese, we don't need Zechs getting in our way when we get there." Otto looked surprised as he said, "Lieutenant Zechs is there?"

"He's no longer a Lieutenant, he doesn't work for OZ anymore. Consider him the enemy, Lieutenant." Caster responded, a frown on his face as he folded his arms. Nodding, Otto turned to leave. Caster frowned angrily as he yelled, "Are you forgetting something, Lieutenant Otto!" Sighing, Otto turned back and stood at attention, saluting the man.

"Sir!" He turned back around and walked out of the room.

__

Lieutenant Zechs wouldn't have been so stuffy. . .Otto thought as he returned to his duties.

"Alright, who's next?" Chang asked, impatiently flapping his new set of wings. Relena nervously stepped forward and said, "I guess I'll go next."

"Relena, no, you shouldn't." Milliardo warned, looking worried as he stepped up to her.

"It's safe, Zechs, she'll be fine." Heero said, still not calling him by his real name. His voice was almost as deep as Milliardo's now and caused Relena to smile as she thought, _I think I like Heero like this now, his voice is so addicting and soothing. I could melt any second if he talks anymore. . ._ Heero looked her way and blinked, thinking, _You like it, huh? Maybe I should talk to you more often. . ._ She gasped and stared at him.

"You heard my thoughts?" Relena asked, a slight blush on her face.

"Well, I was trying to see if you were okay with this my reading your thoughts but you happened to be thinking that at the time. Sorry." Heero said. He looked toward Chang and said, "Hey, want to air battle?"

"Air battle?" Chang had his arms crossed across his chest as one of his eyebrows cocked up. Rachel watched the new angels talk, seeing the great changes in them showing already. They had all grown taller. . .and much stronger. Trowa had been too preoccupied with Quatre to even bother getting powers so he was the same. But Duo, Heero, and Chang had gotten theirs by now and were much older looking, to say the least. They had to get new clothes because they had practically ripped their old outfits. Heero just made larger sizes of his outfit and gave up on ever wearing spandex anymore since he was. . .bigger than before in more than one way and would be indecent otherwise. Chang now wore a black Chinese suit similar to his old one but better fitting to his figure. Its red trim set it off nicely and brought out the fire in his eyes as he discussed fighting with Heero. He wore black gauntlet style bands around his wrists and arms and had his hair down for once. Duo had changed his styling from his usual priest's outfit to a more fitting style more like his later styles in the series. He wore dark blue jeans and a red shirt slightly tight against his figure with a leather jacket over it half zipped up to show off his chest a bit, which he had become quite fond of since his transformation. He lounged around nearby listening to the conversation boredly as he rested his hands against the floor, reclining back on them and propping up a leg, tilting his head to the side lazily. His braid trailed out far behind him, coming down to knee length if he was standing, about 3 feet and 9 inches long. It was surprising how much their physical looks had differed from how they were supposed to look in the Endless Waltz series, being far taller than originally possible and. . .much more handsome if that is possible. Smiling, Rachel walked up to them and said, "Relena, it is perfectly safe for you, there's nothing to worry about."

"But the only ones who have gotten changed are all male, what if it affects females differently?" Milliardo asked nervously, but sounding quite composed.

"I'm a female and I've been through this. . ." She counted the boys and said, "Four times! I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I. . .I'm just not comfortable with her doing this."

"Then let me do it, to make sure it's safe for her to follow suit." Noin suggested, stepping forward. Milliardo looked at her, trying to communicate a protest through his sharp blue eyes to not go through with it. But Noin didn't look at him as she said, "Let me try, I'd like to see what it's like to have powers like you." Rachel nodded and said, "Alright, you know what to do." Noin nodded back and waited as Rachel went through the process. Noin stepped forward and touched Rachel's hand, holding it as she closed her eyes, feeling the power flowing through into her body as the transfer worked its way into her. Slowly, wings grew as before and she gasped, feeling the strange sensation of the experience. She let go of Rachel's hand, the energy surging to life inside her and emanating from deep inside and showing through her eyes as she held her hands against her chest. Milliardo nervously walked toward her, afraid that something was going to go wrong. Suddenly, she groaned and her wings flapped about wildly, shivering slightly and convulsing. Everyone looked surprised by her reaction and Milliardo yelled, "Noin!" Her wings beat harshly and exploded, splitting into two separate pairs of wings, glistening pure gold and larger than before, more majestic than any of the others' wings together. She gasped, whispering, "Milliardo. . ." He ran to her and caught her as she fell into his awaiting arms and fell limp.

"Noin? Noin, speak to me!" Milliardo nervously said, looking scared by the differing reaction she had had. Rachel wobbled slightly as she walked toward them and knelt next to him, leaning a hand on his shoulder. Milliardo looked over at her and said, "You. . .you're still awake!"

"Yes, it's strange, it didn't take as much energy to transfer my powers to her, perhaps it's because she's like me."

"Same gender?" Chang suggested.

"Possibly. But she changed differently, I don't understand. . .did she age?" Rachel peeked over at her face as Milliardo said, "She's so beautiful. . .more than before. . .a seraph unworthy of my earthly love."

"Don't be so negative, I can give you powers too, so you'll be like her."

"I couldn't compare to her, it would be like comparing a swine with a moonstone, such mysterious beauty transfixing eyes upon it while I am nothing but a lowly being hoping for her eyes to be cast on my contemptible soul. . ."

"Alright, enough pessimistic poetry, you're making me sick. . ." Duo rolled his eyes as he stood up from his leisurely spot on the floor and walked toward Rachel. Relena watched eagerly, saying, "So, she's okay?"

"You really want to have powers, don't you?" Heero asked, watching the curious glint in her eyes dance about hopefully. She blushed and said, "I think I'm feeling the same way Duo was earlier."

"Hmm. . .do you think you'll change like Noin did or like us?"

"Who knows, I guess we'll find out." Relena smiled. Heero walked to her and put his arms around her, being taller now and only being able to wrap his arms around her shoulders. She sighed and leaned against him, her head resting comfortably against his chest as he was about 6 inches taller. Rachel looked up at Relena and said, "We should wait for a while to make sure she's alright first, I don't want two people incapacitated if something went wrong."

"I understand, I'll wait. Heero, can we go somewhere. . .alone?" Relena looked up at him with a shy grin and he looked curious, saying, "Sure, wherever you want." She motioned for him to pick her up and he did, causing her to giggle. He blinked and raised his eyebrows as he said, "What?"

"Nothing, let's go." She whispered, nodded her head toward the caves, wrapping her arms around his neck cozily. Flapping out and rising, his wings came down with a strong beat and he rose into the air, taking off and flying away from the camp. Relena rested her head on his shoulder, sighing as she enjoyed the ride. Duo watched them go and said, "Wonder where they're off to. . ."

"Who knows." Chang rolled his eyes.

"Looks like almost everyone has powers now. . ." Trowa commented, looking over his shoulder at the group of winged beings chatting. Quatre didn't respond at first, his eyes closed and his forehead sweaty with fever. Glancing down, Trowa said, "You still awake?" Slowly, Quatre responded in a whisper, "Hot. . ." Looking down sadly, Trowa began to unbutton Quatre's long sleeved shirt, pulling it open to let his body breathe a bit. Quatre scrunched up his face in discomfort as Trowa dabbed a cold wash cloth over his skin to cool him.

"C. . .cold. . ." Quatre muttered.

"Which would you prefer, hot or cold? I can only make you one or the other." Trowa said, rinsing the cloth in a bowl by his feet. Quatre touched Trowa's arm gently and said, "Trowa?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you want powers?"

"I don't need supernatural abilities to defeat OZ, I can do it by being a normal human being."

"But everyone else has powers, don't you feel a little. . .left out or something?"

"And if they all jumped off the cliff outside do you think I'd yell 'Geronimo' and follow them?"

"I don't know. . .maybe you'd yell 'look out below' for all I know. . ."

"That wasn't my point."

"I know, I was just trying to lighten the mood a little. Trowa, not everyone's getting powers because they feel it will be a step ahead of anything OZ can throw at us. . .well, Chang did it for that reason but who cares. Duo only did it because he wanted to be the same age as Rachel, since my touching her changed her with me. I'm not sure why Heero did it but I know Noin only did it to make sure it was safe for Relena, who wants to do it for the same reason Duo did. I'm sure Milliardo will follow suit and change so he can remain the same age as Noin and that will leave you to decide whether to take the chance or not."

"Very perceptive. Do you think it's worth it?"

"I don't know, I've been sick most of the time I've had powers so I can't really judge if it's worth it. . .doesn't seem like it right now. . ." Quatre touched his forehead and moaned, closing his eyes as his head pounded a bit. Trowa moved Quatre's hand away and gently laid the rag on Quatre's forehead, saying, "I'll think about it. Let me go talk to someone about taking care of your illness, I'll be right back."

"Okay." Quatre said sadly, looking a bit sick to his stomach. Trowa walked over to the group and said quietly, "Chang, can I talk to you?"

"Of course." Chang walked with Trowa a couple of feet from everyone and Trowa turned to him, saying, "I need to leave for a while and take Quatre to a hospital."

"What's wrong with him?" Chang asked, sounding surprised.

"I'm not sure, he has a high fever and he's getting nauseated, might be influenza."

"Sounds like it, has he been eating much?"

"He turns pale at the thought of it, he's not getting much better."

"I can see how bad this is but I don't think Heero would let you leave with our current situation being as it is, if you went out with Quatre as he is right now and OZ spotted you, we'd be in deep trouble."

"I know, that's why I wanted your help. I was hoping you could do something about his wings so that he was less conspicuous."

"Well, it would be a nice test of what I'm capable of." Chang mused. "I'll do it, but when Heero nails your sorry butt don't get me involved, I'm only experimenting with my powers."

"Right. . ." Trowa rolled his eyes as he led Chang over to Quatre's sickbed. Kneeling down by Quatre, Chang said, "Hello, Quatre, I'm gonna try to get rid of those wings for you so don't be alarmed if your back starts to burn or anything unnatural." Quatre looked over in worry, his eyes wide with concern. Trowa cocked an eyebrow and said, "Um. . .if you were going with words of comfort. . .it's not working."

"I wasn't trying to be comforting."

"Oh. . .okay then, get to it." Quatre started to inch away, looking worried. Trowa bent down next to him and rested a hand on his arm, saying, "Don't worry, he won't hurt you, I hope. And if he does, I'll hurt him, okay?"

"Hey, no deal if you're going to inflict pain upon me." Chang said, narrowing his eyes at Trowa.

"Only if you do something bad to Quatre, now hurry up before Heero finds out what I'm planning on doing." Trowa said, looking over his shoulder to check for that very person.

"I'll hurry, don't worry. You could get yourself some powers while I'm doing this." Chang glanced at Trowa out of the corner of his eye with a cocked eyebrow. Trowa looked back at Quatre and said, "I don't need them and besides, every time someone has gotten powers they've passed out."

"I did not pass out!"

"Oh really? What do you call falling over unconscious?" Trowa almost smirked.

"I had been doing a thorough workout of my martial arts earlier and decided I needed a rest, so as to not overdo it."

"Yeah, and I'm gay."

"I have no concern over your sexuality, Trowa, as long as you don't grow fond of me." Ignoring the comment, Trowa said, "Get to work on him, I need to speak with someone." Chang grunted and began figuring out what to do next. Standing, Trowa casually strode across the room to Rachel's side, bending over and whispering, "Can I speak with you?"

"Oh, sure." Rachel smiled and stood, leaving Noin and Milliardo to be alone. They walked over to the sleeping quarters and Trowa leaned against one of the support poles for the canopy rook, crossing his arms across his chest and looking up with his usual blank stare through his long bangs. Rachel sat on a cot a few feet from him and folded her hands in her lap, slouching a bit as she stared up at him. Looking away at the ground, Trowa said quietly, "Don't tell anyone, but I'm going out for a little while and I'll be back when I can."

"You're leaving? May I ask why?"

"Perhaps. . .as long as you don't send anyone with me." Trowa glanced up at her. She looked surprised, saying, "Where are you going?"

"To a hospital."

"Hospital? What ever for?" She looked worried.

"I mentioned Quatre being sick, remember?"

"Yes. Trowa, I can-"

"No." Trowa cut her off, already knowing she'd offer her service to him.

"No?" She blinked.

"I know you want to help but you can't. Look, you've got your job here and I'm a big boy, I can handle this on my own."

"You can be bigger."

"Excuse me?" Trowa frowned in confusion and slight uneasiness. She stood and approached him, saying, "That's not what I meant, Trowa. I'm sure everyone's been pressuring you to go through with it like almost everyone has and I don't want to push you if you aren't ready to for your own reasons."

"Oh. . .well, I don't see the importance of it so why waste time with it?"

"It's not entirely pointless, it's kept me alive through this week, you know. . ."

"I'm sure you find meaning for it, I don't doubt that. . .but. . .I just don't have a reason to. . ." Trowa looked over his shoulder at everyone who had changed, gotten older. . .fallen in love. He held in a sigh, blinking and turning his attention back to Rachel.

__

I saw that look, Trowa Barton, don't feel lonely. . .Rachel thought, trying not to look pitying.

"I'll think about it, maybe when I get back." Trowa responded dully. Rachel smiled and said, "Be careful then, don't forget they're still looking for us." She suddenly had a thought and said, "Say, perhaps it would be better to get powers, since you age afterwards."

"So OZ won't recognize me. . ." Trowa caught on.

"Exactly! It won't take long and I'm getting better at it!"

"I don't know. . ."

"Please? I've been trying to perfect this whole process thing. . ." She said, sounding very passionate about it.

"Mmm. . ." Trowa looked away, still unsure. Reaching up, Rachel placed her hands gently on his arms, causing him to look back into her determined eyes.

"You won't faint, I promise. Please, just give me a chance. . ." He stared thoughtfully into her eyes, well, more through them as he spaced out for a minute. Finally, he closed his eyes and responded softly, "Just keep in mind that Quatre's very ill and needs medical attention yesterday."

"I understand, I'll be careful." She took a deep breath and said, "Now, try not to be scared or nervous, I think that's one reason everyone has reacted the way they have to it."

"I'm not afraid, I have nothing to fear." Trowa said calmly, waiting patiently. She nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating her energy to pass on her powers to Trowa. Finally, she said, "Take my hands." He looked down curiously and slowly took hold of her hands in his, looking back up at her face in expectation. He felt a slight surge of energy flow through him and his eyes widened a bit but Rachel spoke softly, saying, "Don't lose control, stay calm." Tilting his head up slightly, he took a deep breath and stood firm as the exchange finished and left him slightly breathless.


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and I don't claim that Trowa can or can't carry Quatre as a man. . .but being so muscular and hot has its advantages so I'm quite sure he can. . .. Plus, I created the character Lieutenant Caster so I can make him as much of an idiot and pain in the butt and I want to, HA!

Chapter 39

"There, how does that feel?" Chang asked, leaning back from Quatre and taking a breath, feeling a little dizzy. Slowly, Quatre pulled the rag off his forehead and let his hand fall limply above his head as he breathed heavily, reaching up to his chest as his lungs felt constricted.

"Considering everything, I feel like dying." Quatre gasped, still sweating. He sighed and looked toward the Gundams, saying, "Where's. . .Trowa?" Chang looked up too and said, "I'm not sure, he said he was going to speak to someone about something but hasn't come back yet."

"Trowa. . ." Quatre whispered, closing his eyes. Chang frowned slightly, perking his ears to the sound of rock crunching underfoot. He looking over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows, saying, "Trowa, you look. . ."

"Different?" Trowa walked up slowly, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his new black leather coat. It came down to his knees as it brushed against his black and red striped pants. His green turtleneck peeked out over his collar, most likely a bit tighter than before underneath the form fitting, button up coat. He stopped by Quatre's cot, saying, "We should be going before it's too late, can you stand, Quatre?" Quatre looked up at him in surprise.

"Trowa. . .you. . ."

"I know, come on." Trowa knelt to help Quatre to his feet as Chang stared at him, saying, "Where's your wings?"

"She took care of that. We'll take one of the cargo planes hidden outside and head to the nearest city with a hospital."

"Be careful and stay sharp, we can't afford to lose anyone at this point in the game." Trowa looked up in acknowledgement and quickly pulled Quatre to his feet, settling him on his back and making his way to the entrance of the cave. As they approached the mouth of the cave, Heero appeared in front of them, his wings stretched out to their fullest to block their path.

"Where are you going?" Heero asked, his sharp blue eyes staring intently at them. He gave Trowa a quick look over as Trowa responded in his deep voice, "That's my business, please move."

"You're going to take him to a hospital, a public place; you should know better."

"I have no choice." Trowa shifted Quatre's weight on his back, not used to carrying and supporting his increased mass.

"Yes you do."

"No, I don't. Now please, move before I have to get a little rough." Trowa said, his voice growing stern.

"And risk hurting Quatre?" Trowa glanced at the mess of damp blonde hair resting against his shoulder. He shifted his weight again, disturbing Quatre's stupor. Glancing up, Quatre said, "Are we. . .there yet?"

"No, Quatre, we'll be there soon. Do you think you'll make it?" Trowa asked softly. He moaned and his head fell limp again, leaning against Trowa's cheek. His cold expression softened as he glanced at Heero, saying, "His face is burning from his fever and cold rags aren't helping, he needs medical-"

"He'll recover, Rachel was fine even after getting pneumonia."

"He's not like her, Heero, get a clue already! None of us will ever be like her, no matter whether she gives us powers or not, it's just a copy! I'm sick of you people taking risks on his life just because you think some stupid unnatural freak accident will somehow keep him alive. Now get out of my way before I hurt you!" Trowa growled out sharply, trying not to yell in Quatre's ear. Heero didn't falter in his glare, saying, "If he can't heal himself then just ask Rachel to-"

"This is my last warning, move or else." Trowa hissed. Just as Heero was about to disagree again, Relena popped up next to Heero and said, "Heero, let him go. Wouldn't you do the same thing for me if I was terribly ill?" He looked down at her, not sure if it would be smart to say no. . .if he wanted to have a future with her at all. Finally, he conceded, with a sigh and stepped aside, lowering his wings and saying, "Stay in contact, if I don't hear from you every 45 minutes I'm coming after you."

__

45 minutes! Well, at least I'm getting him out of here, might as well take what I get. . .Trowa thought as he nodded to them and started walking again toward his destination.

__

Godspeed, Trowa. . .Relena thought as she slowly wrapped her arm around Heero's, leaning her head against his shoulder. He looked down at her and said, "You knew I wouldn't say no, didn't you?"

"Of course, because you looove me." Relena cooed almost mockingly, tipping his chin with her finger as she grinned.

"Have you been talking to Rachel?" Heero asked with an annoyed tone, remembering Rachel using her flirting to manipulate him before.

"Hehe, yes." Relena giggled, smiling contently.

"We're 20 minutes from our destination point, sir, should we send a scout group ahead of us to survey the area?" One of the cadets at the controls announced, turning to the lieutenant in command. Caster looked thoughtfully out the viewing window, fiddling with his mustache subconsciously.

"Send out two Aries to scout the cliffs around the mountain, we don't have an endless supply of mobile suits to waste if we're ambushed so tell them to be cautious." Caster said slowly and thoughtfully, tilting his head up to look superior. The young cadet saluted and began relaying the orders. The cockpit entrance door opened slowly and Otto entered the room, saying, "Lieutenant Caster, sir, the Aries aren't ready for launch yet, for some reason they keep malfunctioning on ignition."

"Well you're the chief mechanic, what do you think OZ is paying you for! Get to work immediately or I'll have you court marshaled!" Caster yelled, growling his orders to him.

"With all due respect, sir, I can't fix them if I don't know what's wrong." Otto responded calmly. Caster's eyes narrowed as he said, "Then what are you doing here? Go figure it out already!"

"Yes, sir." Otto saluted and turned sharply, heading quickly to the door.

"And lieutenant. . .work on that attitude." Caster said after him.

__

Same to you, sir. Otto thought mockingly as he shut the door behind himself.

Rachel slowly strolled out to the open area past the kitchen and walked up to Duo, saying, "I'm getting bored, can we go out? Please?" He looked at his back, saying, "Know any all angel nightclubs?"

"Well now. . ." She patted him on the back and said, "Why would we go there?" He blinked, seeing that his wings were gone.

"Okay then. . ." He said with a grin. He pulled her into his arms and looked down, smiling sweetly. She rested her head against his chest and said softly, "Wanna go outside and enjoy the fresh air?"

"Sure. . .as long as we're alone." He grinned. She frowned slyly, saying, "I don't know, is that really safe to be alone? You know, in case danger happens to just. . .pop up out of nowhere?" Flexing his arm, he said in a macho tone, "Don't worry, little lady, with me by your side you have nothing to fear!"

"Except you." She grinned, poking his chest. He looked indignantly at her and said as he tickled her, "Oh, you think you're soooo funny, don't you?" Laughing insanely, she hollered, "Yes, unlike you!"

"Oh, you're getting it now! Come here!" Pushing away, she ran for her life, racing around the sleeping tent and weaving through the cots to avoid Duo's happy hands.

"Slow poke! I see you didn't get any faster, maybe your expanding ego's slowing you down more!" Rachel taunted over her shoulder, laughing happily.

"And you're getting clumsier!" Duo shouted. Staring at him as she ran, she said, "What are you talking ab-" Suddenly, her foot caught on a cot that seemed to pop up out of nowhere and she went flying. Closing her eyes, she braced for impact. But she hit something soft that wrapped around her and held her up. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up to see duo smiling down.

"I always heard of people falling head over heels for someone but I didn't think it would ever really happen." Duo joked, pulling her gently over the cot and holding her in his arms. She pursed her lips and looked down at the cot, saying, "That wasn't there before." He pulled her chin up with his finger, saying as he leaned in to kiss her, "Neither was I. . ." Just as he was going to press his lips against hers, she quickly turned her head and he met her cheek instead. Slowly, he kissed her and sighed, pulling her head against his chest to rest there and hear his heart beating quickly. She closed her eyes and said quietly, "Why's your heart pounding?"

"It always does when you're in my arms, I can't help feeling so happy because you chose to be with me this minute. . ."

"Duo. . ." She said in embarrassment, looking down as her cheeks began to burn. He rested his hand on the back of her head, leaning his head forward to kiss hers. She snuggled into him and buried her face in his jacket, breathing in the smell of the leather. . .his cologne. . .everything. He rested his head against hers, closing his eyes and sighing, "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"Nope. . .sounds like a song cue." Rachel smiled softly. Duo chuckled and nuzzled his nose in her soft hair.

"Well. . .I do, just for the record."

"We're on our way, just relax and try to rest." Trowa said quietly to Quatre who was sitting next to him in the cockpit of their plane. He didn't respond.

__

Must be asleep already. Trowa figured, reclining in his seat and slowly steering the plane. A few minutes into their flight, a faint blip on the radar caught his attention and he checked it out on the view screen. Blinking, he said to himself, "Military planes? OZ. . ." He quickly punched the comlink button and called Shenlong.

__

Come on, Chang, answer! Trowa screamed in his mind as the link beeped over and over.

"Do you hear a beeping noise?" Rachel asked, leaning back and looking around Duo. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Yeah, sounds like it's coming from Chang's gundam."

"Does he know it's calling him?"

"Let's find out. Hey, WU-MAN!" Duo yelled out, knowing Chang would at least come to pummel him. As if on cue, Chang came stomping up to them, yelling, "What did you call me, MAXWELL!" Rachel slapped her hand over Duo's mouth as she said with a nervous laugh, "Heh, that was me, I was, uh. . .practicing my ventriloquism! Yeah! You know, throwing your voice, mimicking others, stuff like that! It's a valuable technique to learn, being in our present situations, I could use it to our advantage! Your Gundam's beeping." She changed the subject quickly as Chang began to look confused. Blinking, Chang said, "My gundam?"

"Yeah! You might wanna check that out, could be important!" She gave him a huge grin as her eyes plainly looked unconvincing. He narrowed his eyes for a minute of thought before slowly walking away to check out the noise. Finally, satisfied with the distance between them and Chang's katana, Rachel let go of Duo. He gasped loudly and stared wide-eyed at her, saying, "What the heck, you almost suffocated me!"

"Sorry, better to have almost killed you than gone all the way."

"All the way?" He cocked an eyebrow. She frowned and leaned back in disgust, saying as she put her hand in his face, "One track mind!" She began to walk away as he said, "Hey, now I didn't think about that! Well, maybe a little bit but I'm a guy, I can't help it! It's like you girls and constantly thinking about shoes or clothes or-"

"You girls? Oh, you better just stop before you dig a grave where you're standing!" Rachel said with an attitude not to be messed with. He cringed and backed off, sulking away to his cot like a punished little boy sent to the corner. Rachel stormed off to the kitchen muttering about egotistical gasbags and wanting a Reality Check pin (used mainly for popping inflated male minds and the occasional stubborn black head).

This is Chang, what do you want? Chang not so politely answered the call.

"This is Trowa, you have a fleet of OZ soldiers heading your way, about 15 minutes from rendezvous with the cave. I suggest you get out of there or at least do something quick before they attack you." Trowa said, keeping an eye on the blip on the radar to make sure they hadn't seen him as he left.

OZ! Crud, I'll tell the others but what about you, did they see you?

"Negative, I'm in the clear so far."

Report back if you're followed, I'll send out aid.

"That's another negative, I don't need assistance."

But you don't have your gundam with you, neither of you do!

"I'm aware of that, but you need all the firepower you can get to fight them off. Besides, if I brought one aboard and tried to dock at a city I'd be in more trouble then if I just went unarmed."

I still don't think it's safe but it's your choice.

"Chang, go, you don't have any time to waste talking about a lost cause."

Right, Chang out! He ended the transmission and ran off to warn everyone of the oncoming onslaught.

__

I hope I got to them in time. . .Trowa thought as he sighed, looking over at the innocent looking man sleeping nearby.

"Everybody, come here! We have trouble!" Chang yelled from his gundam as he jumped down. He ran midway to the sleep area and stopped as the group slowly came to him.

"Chang, what is it?" Milliardo asked, slowly walking up with Noin who was awake but still a little groggy.

"We have to get prepared for battle, now!" Chang said simply as Heero and Relena came running into the room.

"Wufei, what's all the commotion about!" Heero asked as he approached.

"OZ has sent a unit out and they'll be here in 13 minutes, that is if they don't send a scout party ahead of them."

"What! No, Trowa's out there!" Duo said, looking worried.

"He's the one who warned me, don't worry he said no one had spotted him yet, most likely too preoccupied with their mission."

"This doesn't give us much time to prepare, and we have one extra gundam so who'll pilot it?" Noin asked, joining the conversation.

"We have two extra Gundams, remember Quatre and Trowa are out." Heero stated.

"Quatre too? What's going on!" Duo asked, getting antsy to get out there and blow up some OZ mobile suits.

"Nevermind. Look, we have two extra people here that can pilot the suits." Rachel said.

"No, Relena doesn't know how to fly one, we can't just send her out there without training, she'll get killed." Heero said, looking down at Relena.

"I can try! To fly, that is." Relena looked down shyly, feeling sad about her lack of experience.

"Look, Relena can pilot my gundam, I'll just set it to follow my commands and all Relena has to do is sit in it and enjoy the ride. I can fly in either of the other Gundams, whichever Noin doesn't choose." Rachel suggested.

"I'm not sure, Heavyarms relies mainly on fire power, that takes a lot of concentration and I'm not sure if I'm to the point of conceiving too much beyond flying right now." Noin commented.

"Alright, you can have Sandrock, I'll pilot Heavyarms." Rachel settled it.

"Rachel, that's a lot for one person to do, are you sure you can do this? You're going to be piloting two suits at once, how can you keep track of them both?" Heero asked, looking a little unsure of her decision.

"Heero, it's okay, I can do this. If it starts to get to be too much to handle I'll let Verein take over."

"What?"

"I can tell her exactly what to do until I or Relena give her further instructions, now stop worrying and let's get out there before we're trapped inside!" Rachel said, feeling time being wasted on a pointless argument.

"She's right, we have 11 minutes now to get ready." Chang put in.

"Okay, let's go!" Duo shouted, running toward his gundam. Relena looked a little nervous as she followed Rachel over to her gundam. Everyone else went to their suits or borrowed one and got in, firing up the engines and preparing for take off.

"Alright, now Verein, this is Relena, she'll be copiloting you for this trip and I'll be giving you orders over the comlink, is that clear?" Rachel said to her suit as Relena made her way up and into it.

Affirmative, Rachel. Where will you be?

"I'll be in Heavyarms, the red, orange, and white Gundam."

Affirmative. Awaiting further instructions.

"Good. Now, Relena, just sit back and relax, I'll take care of the driving for you." Rachel shouted up to Relena as she opened the hatch. Relena nodded down to her and hopped in, getting comfy in the seat. Rachel raced over to Heavyarms and quickly got in and settled as the others were ready to go.

"Alright, Verein, can you hear me?" Rachel asked, establishing a comlink connection to her gundam.

Affirmative.

"Relena?"

Yes, I can hear you. Relena replied, sounding a bit nervous.

"Okay, don't worry, Verein's an excellent gundam and easy to pilot, as long as you know her secrets."

Secrets? She has secrets? But. . .I don't know them! Relena said, sounding worried.

"Here's a few tips: If she tries to activate the automatic controls, tell her to deactivate them as quickly as you can or the same thing will happen to that did to Trowa a while back. And be precise with your commands, don't just say 'go over there and blast that one' cause she won't understand and will start flying everywhere and blasting everything. It would be helpful to have her targeting system on so you can see which suits she's aiming for."

Thanks for the tips, I think I'm a little more at ease. But I'd still prefer you doing the driving, as long as it didn't interfere with your own.

"Of course, don't worry. And if you get into a bit of trouble, I'm sure Heero will be more than happy to jump in and get you out." Rachel winked. Relena smiled and said, I can hope so.

Are you two women done chatting yet? In case you weren't aware we have a battle to attend to so if you don't mind, can we go now! Chang asked obnoxiously over the comlink. Rachel rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, Chang, we can go."

You sure? I wouldn't want to break up anything important like a discussion about the coolest shoes you saw at the mall.

"Chang. . .shut up and fly." Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. The cavern echoed with the roar of the 7 mobile suits as they took off, flying through the passageways and out into the open where they met their opponent on the horizon.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. See, look, what did I say, WAR! Like I promised! I tried my best to follow the information available for the Gundams and Mobile suits to sound at least a little bit intelligent during this battle chapter so if you see anything that's not true or. . .doesn't exist. . .don't sue me or fuse or whatever. . .I'm just an overly-obsessed girl with too much time on one's hands. . Oh, and Lieutenant Gram is my original character as well, along with Ensign Chris, hehe.

Chapter 40

"Sir, 7 mobile suits just exited the cave ahead of us and are quickly advancing!" the cadet at the helm announced nervously.

"What! 7! But there should only be 6: 5 Gundams and one mobile suit, Tallgeese!" Caster shouted, rushing over to see the view screen of the attack wave heading their way. He frowned and said, pointing at Verein, "What is that? There's no data in the computers for that one, is it a gundam or just a very advanced looking mobile suit?"

"I'm not sure, sir, it looks similar to all the others, almost like bits of each one rolled into a single suit." The cadet mused. Caster narrowed his eyes at the soldier's fancying of the mysterious mobile suit and said, "Stop drooling over it and begin recording this fight, I'm sure it will please Treize very much to hear of this new model we've found."

"Yes, sir!" The cadet saluted and began programming the computer for surveillance of the battle to be. Caster took the command deck in two strides and shouted at an idle soldier, "You, cadet, run down to the storage bay and inform the soldiers that the battle is upon us!" The cadet jumped in surprise, quickly saying as he sloppily saluted with a handful of documents, "Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" He dumped his load into a nearby person's arms and dashed off toward the door, stumbling a bit as he exited the room. Caster frowned and turned to his second in command who had just walked up, saying, "Lieutenant Gram, what is that cadet's name?"

"Ensign, sir. His name is Chris, I believe."

"Chris. . .who hired him? He's the sloppiest recruit I've ever had the misfortune to work with!" Caster said in annoyance.

"He's your brother's cousin, sir." Gram whispered.

"Send him out with the other pilots, say he gave up his life to battle for OZ." Caster waved him off, walking away. Blinking, Gram said quietly to himself, "I'd hate to see what he'd do if his brother did anything to displease him. . ."

"Relena, are you alright over there?" Heero asked over the comlink.

Yes, so far. Is that the enemy up ahead? Relena asked, watching the plane flying in with its escort suits.

"Yes, try to stay away from the battle unless you have to get involved, we can handle this bunch without any problems."

Well, I'm not flying, Rachel is.

"Tell her to keep you out of this then."

Okay. . .be careful, Heero.

"I do this all the time, nothing to worry about. Heero out." Relena watched as Wing gundam flew out ahead of the group to lead the attack. With a sigh, Relena reached over to the comlink button.

Relena, do you wish to inform Rachel of this new command? Verein asked suddenly. Jumping a little, Relena settled down and said, "Oh, it's you. Yes, I want to pass on the request."

You can tell me who to call and I'll do it for you, if you wish.

"Oh, thank you. I would like to speak to Rachel." Relena smiled. A video screen popped up and Relena said, "Rachel, hello."

Relena, what is it? Rachel asked, surprised by the message.

"Heero asked if I could be left out of this battle, I don't think he likes the idea of me getting involved."

I guess I can agree with that. Alright, you just sit tight over there and I'll leave you behind. Rachel out. Verein slowed to a stop and hovered to the ground to wait in the forest for further commands as Heavyarms flew ahead to catch up to the group. Quickly, Tallgeese engaged the enemy and took out two of the leading Leos with its cannon, swiftly dodging incoming fire from the remaining suits.

"We're under attack, repeat, we're under-AUGH!" One of the Leos tried to shoot down Deathscythe as he warned the plane but flew in half after the green scythe blade slashed through its middle, causing a great explosion. The remaining Leos flew around in confusion and desperation, shooting at the smoke screen left by the explosion, sensing their imminent deaths. Suddenly like a bolt of lightning, a dragon's head whipped out and grabbed one of the Leos, crushing it in half and throwing the mangled metal into another suit erupting into another ball of fire.

"Three more to go, care to do the honors, Heero?" Duo grinned. In response, Wing zipped forward with its two beam sabers drawn and dove head long into one of the Leos, plunging the beam sabers into its core and slashing out with them, busting through the suit before it blew up. Wing did a summersault and shot up into the air, zigzagging back and forth avoiding the rain of ammunition being fired at him. Noin took this opportunity while the remaining two Leos were distracted to fly in and take them out. Sandrock drew its heat Shotels and swung them out to either side, quickly bring them forward and slashing through the suits as she flew between them. They exploded and Noin returned to the group, turning to face the lone plane turning desperately to retreat.

"We've lost our escort team, sir, should we abort the mission?" The cadet at the helm asked Caster.

"Are you crazy, of course not! We haven't seen that new suit in battle yet, send out a team of Leos to attack it, now!" Lieutenant Caster shouted in the poor cadet's ear.

"But sir, they won't make it past the group of Gundams, they'll be destroyed!"

"Then send out all the suits we have, I want to see that suit in action! Get those Aries in the air immediately!"

"Yes. . .sir." The cadet turned back to his station nervously and began to slowly go about his orders.

"And hurry up with it, they'll blow us to oblivion before you even get one command out!" Caster yelled. The cadet jumped and worked faster, beginning to sweat nervously. Caster stormed across the floor shouting orders to every free soldier aboard the command deck, saying, "Get to the mobile suit holding area, I want every able-bodied soldier out there fighting that gundam! What are you just standing there for? Do they pay you to stare into space like a twit! Get moving! I don't hear feet running to do as I command! Get to it, now!" choruses of "yes, sir"s echoed in the command room as all the unoccupied soldiers ran to their posts to do as they were commanded.

__

Such incompetent people, why must I be plagued with idiotic bums. . .Caster thought, shaking his head.

"Milliardo, to your left, more Leos!" Duo shouted, flying forward to help him fend them off. Just as he raised his scythe to strike down one of them, it dove under his suit and flew past him, quickly advancing to the cave.

"Huh? Where are they going, we're over here!" Chang said, looking annoyed as he reached out with his arm to bring down one of the passing suits. They all watched in confusion until Heero said suddenly, "Oh no, Relena's back there! RELENA!" Wing took off in a burst of rocket power as he tried desperately to catch up to them before they attacked Verein.

"What's going on? Why are they coming over here?" Relena blinked as she watched the group of 10 suits coming toward her. She suddenly realized that she was their target as they began to shoot at her.

Enemy fire; orders? Verein asked, noticing the attack. Relena grit her teeth, saying, "Um. . .fly up! Dodge the bullets!"

Affirmative. Verein took off, flying into the air and swerving back and forth to avoid getting shot.

"What is she doing?" Heero said to himself, watching Verein dance around wildly. Relena held on for her life, staring wide-eyed at the group of Leos drawing closer and closer, aiming for the kill.

"Verein, shoot that-" She paused for a moment, remembering what Rachel had told her, "Um. . .shoot down the Leo to the far right." In response, it turned its head toward the Leo and two red lasers locked onto the target, followed shortly by a bright white laser that shot clean through the suit, causing it to explode.

Target eliminated, awaiting further commands. Verein said. Relena blinked in surprise.

"Cool. Uh, shoot down the one that was next to it as well." Relena said, feeling like a real pilot giving commands. Obeying, Verein took out the other suit in the same matter, ending in another echoing blast that shook the valley below.

"Is Relena doing that?" Noin asked, blinking in surprise.

"The responses are slow; it must be." Milliardo replied, watching as well. Heero didn't hesitate to join in the destruction, swinging out one of the beam sabers to destroy a Leo as he proceeded to his next kill. He swung the leg around and kicked the Leo in the side, sending it flying into another. The two suits' frames wrapped around each other and the tangled mess fell to the ground where they blew up, sending flaming debris flying in every direction. Wing flew up to Verein and Heero contacted Relena quickly.

"Relena, are you alright? What are you doing in there, you could get yourself killed!" Heero said, sounding slightly flustered.

I'm sorry, they were attacking me, I didn't want to just sit there and let them destroy me and Rachel wasn't giving Verein any commands so I had to do something! Relena said nervously.

Heero, off your left port! Duo yelled. With a quick swing of its arm, Wing slashed with its saber through a Leo trying to sneak up on him.

"Relena, stay back, these guys are after the gundam you're in." Heero said, turning to face the attackers.

But Heero, I can-

"No, just stay back and let us handle this." Wing jumped forward and lashed out at a Leo coming in for the kill, destroying it. Relena frowned and sighed, sitting back in her seat and pouting as she said to herself, "this isn't fair, I want to fight them. I can't just sit here while they're risking their lives to protect me, I can't. . ."

Relena? Do you wish to attack? Verein asked, hearing her comments.

"I want to but Heero said not to." Relena replied.

__

I'm talking to a computer. . .what next? Fighting unmanned mobile suits? Yeah right. . .Relena thought to herself.

Probability of the Tallgeese mobile suit being destroyed is 67, suit in danger of destruction by approaching enemies. Verein pointed out, seeing the next wave of suits coming from the plane and heading straight for Tallgeese and moving fast.

"Woah, they're fast! What are those? They don't look like any model of mobile suit I've ever seen!" Relena commented.

Taurus, Doll model.

"Dolls? I've never heard of those."

Mobile suits remotely controlled, unmanned and capable of double the average speed. They lock onto a predefined target and attack relentlessly until they're destroyed.

"What! Unmanned! That's impossible, I thought you were the only kind like that! No, we have to save him, Verein!"

Affirmative, shall we engage the enemy?

"No, fly in front of the Tallgeese and shield him from attack while I warn him about the suits."

Affirmative, defending Tallgeese. Verein zipped across the battle field and stopped in front of the Tallgeese, facing it and whipping out its wings, enveloping the suit in the white wing shields.

"Relena, what are you doing!" Milliardo asked, looking surprised.

Don't move, Milliardo, those Taurus are trying to kill you! Relena shouted, the shots from the Dolls already echoing off Verein's armor.

"Relena, I can handle them, you don't have to protect me."

No, you don't understand, those aren't just ordinary Taurus suits, they're Dolls! They're unmanned and move faster than you can and they've locked onto you as a target!

"Dolls? Who told you this?"

Verein; please, let the others take care of them, I don't want to risk losing you!

"Relena. . ." Milliardo blinked in surprise, furrowing his brow and staring at the view of Verein's chest he had.

"Heero, everyone, attack the Dolls before they hit Tallgeese!" Relena shouted to all the others.

Dolls? Wait, I've seen these things before, but the ones I saw looked different. Duo commented as he tried to hunt one down, but it evaded his attack.

These aren't suppose to exist yet, what is going on! Rachel said in irritation, shooting wildly at the pesky Dolls buzzing around them like flies with guns.

I don't remember these, Treize never mentioned their production. Noin said, trying to take one out as it quickly dodged her attempts.

"It was Colonel Une's idea." Milliardo said quietly. Everyone seemed to stare at him after this comment, pausing to await a further explanation.

Wait, you know about this? Duo asked, taking a swing at a passing suit only to miss.

"Yes, Une was talking about their production back before you attacked. She was planning on bringing in mass amounts of Titanium alloy to start their construction but your interference delayed the manufacturing, so only a small few test suits were made as examples, to get the foundation's attention and possible support. These are probably the test suits. . .unless they've proceeded with the plans already."

But I don't see how that's possible, it's only been 9 days since they attacked! She couldn't have gotten production up and running in such a short amount of time, it's not possible. Noin said, sounding concerned and very serious.

"Noin, this is Colonel Une we're talking about, she can pull any strings she wants. She's relentless when it comes to Treize's wishes and if we don't get to the bottom of this, I'm afraid she'll have an army of endless warriors on his side."

Milliardo, you were the closest to Treize, you should know how much he would be against Dolls.

What's she talking about, Zechs? Heero cut in, hearing all of their conversation.

"That's true. . .Treize always valued soldiers' lives. . .he believed that a true battle was fought man to man, that was the honorable way of fighting. If you take man out of that, you're left with two machines mindlessly destroying each other over and over while humans hide behind the controls."

That's a coward's way of fighting. Chang put in his two cents.

"Exactly, Treize wouldn't agree to this. Someone else must be backing the production of them behind his back and forcing Une to use them, but who would do that?" Milliardo frowned in thought, thinking of possible suspects.

Milliardo, what about the Barton Foundation? They've always been the backbone of OZ's funds, they could be responsible for this. Noin said suddenly.

"You're right. . . Dekim Barton is the head of the Barton Foundation, Treize and him never really got along. . .even though he married Dekim's daughter. . ."

What! Woah, way too many plot twists! Hold up, Treize is married to Dekim Barton's daughter and he works for Dekim as the leader of OZ? That's just crazy. . . Duo said, getting confused.

"When you can gain so much power you aren't concerned with who you have to work under, it's what you can manipulate out of that person that truly counts."

That's love for ya. . .

"Love is far from the battlefield; love, if involved in a war, will quickly be crushed or used against another. Love has no place in a war, it will just get in the way." Noin looked down at her lap, seeing how Milliardo truly felt about love. She looked back up with a blank stare, shifting Sandrock into reverse and turning away from the conversation.

"Noin, where are you going?" Rachel asked quietly. She didn't respond as she shut off the comlink to her cockpit, rocketing off toward a stand of Dolls calculating another point of attack to get to their programmed goal. Screaming fiercely as she swung back one of the heat Shotels, she brought it down hard on two of the Dolls, sending their metal carcasses flying to the ground. From there she kept moving, ramming a Doll into another and kicking them through the air, launching a missile at them that exploded on contact. Fire and burning metal rained down to the ground as Sandrock stood morbidly staring down at the destruction below, arms hanging at its side with heat Shotels clenched tightly in its fists. The Dolls switched their target to Sandrock, sensing the sudden danger to their mission, and began to attack her. Looking up slowly, she burned inside, raising the heat Shotels as they began to glow.

"Eat superheated metal, you mindless fools!" Noin yelled, throwing the Shotels at two of the Taurus suits, flying clean through their torsos. She turned to another Doll attacking her and screamed, firing the Vulcan Gun on Sandrock's head and shattering the mobile suit's head. With a swift kick, she sent its body flying into an incoming Doll, bringing forth a tremendous explosion of fire and smoke to cover her. She dove down into the forest to retrieve the heat Shotels, quickly returning to the air to slice through another Doll, loathing their creation.

"Crud, she's gone insane!" Duo said, staring wide eyed at Noin who was mercilessly destroying the Dolls without stopping.

"How's that, Chang! Do you still think I'm just a woman! Huh? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Noin yelled over the comlink as she slashed through another unsuspecting Doll. Chang blinked in surprise as he said, Of course you're a woman, what are you talking about? She stopped, facing Chang as she breathed heavily, panting for air with fire burning deep within her eyes.

"You fool, you can't bother to remember? You destroyed my base, my men, my LIFE! You took away all of the work I had been slaving over for so long, you stole my men's lives; they never had a chance to make me proud! THEY WERE SO YOUNG!" Noin screamed, tears coming to her eyes.

You. . .you were that female I battled briefly at the Victoria Base? Chang sounded surprised.

"Yes, I was that female. Are you happy with yourself? Huh? Well? Answer me! I lost everything that day because I loved my work, I was devoted to those poor soldiers and I had so much hope and belief in them that they were NEVER going to die in battle, but you took away their lives before they ever had a chance. You, who talk so much of honor, what honor is there in killing defenseless men? Unarmed men? TELL ME!" Chang stared blankly at the screen, his eyes wide.

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What brought this up? She's lost her mind. . .Duo thought, watching and hearing the conversation.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, still waiting for my check to come in so I can buy the Gundam Wing box set! WOOHOO! eagerly awaits money Oo Can't. . .take. . .suspense! Which I'm sure everyone else is thinking since I cut chapter 40 and 41 in half, it was getting too long. . .sorry, hehe. . Oh, and I don't claim Noin would lose it even if she kinda did in the show and I don't think Treize would kiss Une so. . .yeah, it's a story, get over it.

Chapter 41

"Say something already, don't stare at me like I'm some foolish woman screaming for the ears of my dead soldiers to hear me! Why let me live when you wouldn't do the same to those poor soldiers? Am I so different? Did you want me to suffer because I loved them? Is this my punishment? Having to remember my mistake for the rest of my life like a poignant reminder that I'm an idiot? Don't do me such a justice, just kill me!"

Noin. . .I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better I hated myself for doing that, I felt so empty after that battle I wished that I would have died. I can't change what I've done. If you ask everyone here they'll tell you that they've done things that they have been regretting to this day, they've lost people that meant a lot to them and wish that they could die. If you wish to take revenge on their deaths you are free to kill me. . .or torture me if that seems a more reasonable exchange. Chang said solemnly. Noin grit her teeth, feeling like just doing that as hot tears stung her cheeks.

"Noin. . .calm down, please." Milliardo said softly, trying to push away from his sister. Relena let him go, since all the Dolls threatening his life were now burning piles of rubble. Tallgeese slowly drifted over to Sandrock, gently touching the suit on the shoulder. Noin looked up at him, feeling like jumping from the cockpit and committing suicide. Milliardo looked sadly at her, saying quietly on a closed frequency, "Noin. . .come out for a minute."

But. . .OZ is still out there. . . Noin said, trying to blink back the tears as she wiped away the traces of her sorrows.

"I know, but come out so I can say something to you face to face." Noin sniffed and sighed, finally regaining control of her feelings. She began to lower the Gundam to the ground to land before she came out, being followed by Tallgeese the whole time. She landed and shut down the system, opening the cockpit and standing to step out. As she took a step forward, Milliardo jumped over from his Gundam and stood in front of her, surprising her slightly.

"Mill-" Noin began to speak. He put his finger over her lips and said, talking her hand, "No, let me speak first. Please, sit down." She slowly eased back down into her seat as Milliardo knelt in front of her, still holding her hand. He looked deeply into her eyes and said in his calm, deep voice, "Noin. . .I'm sorry about what I said, I'm certain that's what caused you to go off on those Dolls like that. I do mean what I said though, love doesn't belong in a battle situation."

"But. . ."

"Wait, I'm not finished." Milliardo took her other hand in his, holding both her cold hands in his tightly. "I do think it is possible to love outside of war, as long as you don't get that love involved inside of it. What I mean is. . .like right now, while we're fighting. If I was in danger or soon to be and you decided to risk your life for me because of your love for me than I would have to disagree with your reason." Noin blinked, saying, "Why?"

"Because. . .it will only get you killed or hurt and. . .I don't want you to ever be injured on my part."

"But isn't it my right to risk my safety if yours is at risk? Isn't part of loving someone being willing to die for them?"

"That doesn't matter to me, I would rather you live on to fight for what I believe in, keep going. . .for me. That would be the greatest gesture of love to me. . ."

"So. . .if I was in danger. . .if I was about to be killed. . .are you saying you would turn away from me? Let me die? In my eyes that isn't much of a show of affection."

"I would save you, Noin. . ." She frowned and said, "But you just said-"

"I meant for you not to save me, not the other way around."

"Milliardo Peacecraft, I am not going to just give up on you if I have the faintest chance of saving you! I've always been there for you and I always will, no matter what happens to me. You mean the world to me so don't dare ask me to turn the other way because I won't, I just won't!" She shook her head and stared him straight in the eyes. She pulled her hands free and said, taking his face gently in her grasp, "Look at me. Do you honestly believe I'm going to let some pathetic battle take you away from me? You mean too much. . .far too much." She leaned forward, kissing him gently on the lips. He paused for a moment, a bit stunned by the kiss but he slowly leaned into it, reaching up to her face to touch her porcelain skin and gently run his fingers over it. They broke and rested their foreheads against each other with their eyes closed, breathing in fresh air after the breathless kiss. Milliardo opened his eyes and looked up at Noin, brushing back her bangs to see her beautiful face and sparkling blue eyes that stared back with a loving glint.

"Noin. . .I still. . ." Noin smiled softly as she rested a finger gently on his lips.

"I don't care." Noin said, giving his nose a quick peck.

Ahem, sorry to interrupt but there's more Mobile suits being launched and you're kind of in the line of fire. Duo said over the comlink to Noin as he advanced to the new attackers. Noin quickly sat back, getting the gundam prepared for takeoff. She paused to look up at Milliardo as he leapt back over to his suit, shouting, "Milliardo!" He turned to look back at her as she said, "Be careful or I might just have to come and save you!" He smiled and shouted back, "Same to you!" They both closed their hatch doors and started up their engines, flying up to get back to the battle. Just as Noin reached the battle, she got pummeled by incoming enemy fire and fell again.

"Noin! Get up!" Milliardo screamed to her, shooting down two Leos.

I'm trying, the engines have stalled and they won't come back on! Noin said back, desperately pressing buttons and hitting various things.

"Rachel, Noin's engine died, can you help her out a little?"

I can. Chang said. Suddenly, Noin's engines roared to life and she switched on the rocket boosters just in time before crash landing. She came back up with the heat Shotels drawn and ready as she slashed through a Leo in her way.

"Noin, are you alright." Chang asked, looking at Sandrock out of the corner of his eye.

Yes. . .thank you. . .Chang. She responded, still upset with him but hiding it behind her war face. Chang nodded and threw out his right arm, sending his Dragon Fang flying out at a passing Leo. The fangs latched onto its armor and began constricting it, causing it to eventually implode and break in half. Letting go of the remains, he swung the arm around and the flame-thrower exploded to life, sending two rivers of gold barreling toward an unsuspecting Leo. It instantly caught on fire and spun out of control, crash landing into the forest.

"This fight has gone on long enough, we have to end this!" Milliardo said, kicking away a mobile suit in disgust. Just then, another group of about 3 Aries came out, one of which was clumsily flying after the rest. Rachel cocked her head to the side and said, "Is that guy drunk or something?"

Drunk? How dare they insult us with such a fool! Do they think that is all it will take to defeat us! Chang growled, feeling like he just got a slap in the face.

"Lieutenant Otto, sir, I don't know how to pilot a mobile suit! I just run the computers, I don't know how these things work!" Ensign Chris said nervously as he jerked the controls of the Aries, desperately trying to keep it in the air.

Just stay level and stay behind us, I'll take care of this. Otto responded, flying out ahead of the group straight to Tallgeese. He stopped in front of him as Milliardo got ready to attack.

"Lieutenant Zechs, please hold off your attack, it's me, your old mechanic!" Otto shouted over the comlink to Milliardo, raising the mobile suit's hands in the air to show his surrender.

Otto? How did you end up out here, I thought you were stuck at the Victoria Base! Milliardo responded, recognizing his voice.

"I was but an odd request for these new Taurus Dolls pulled me out to the temporary base where they're being manufactured. Please don't hurt these men, they don't know what they're doing! Colonel Une sent out some dingleberry to lead this attack and he's doing a terrible job, sending out technicians to fly mobile suits!" Otto explained, sounding ticked.

Technicians? Is that why that one behind you can't stay level? Milliardo watched Chris's Aries dance back and forth in an unsteady manner.

"He's even the Lieutenant-in-command's cousin. . .and he just sent him out here to die because he's a bit jumpy around him."

That's disgraceful, how could Treize let such a fool work under the name of OZ?

"I've been wondering that myself. . .you would be 10 times better than him, sir, why don't you come back. OZ needs devoted soldiers like yourself, Treize needs you!" Milliardo looked down sadly and said, I am no longer under the bondage of OZ, I am a free soldier. I'm sorry, Otto, but. . .OZ is my enemy now. Otto stared blankly at the screen, a slight feeling of shock as he said, "But. . .that means. . .you really are our enemy. . ."

Yes, I am. Otto. . . He looked up and stared at his old friend, You'll have to kill me now, I will only destroy OZ for its evil deeds against humanity, I don't want to kill you. . .

"Sir. . ." Otto looked dejected as he lowered his arms.

Otto, I'm no longer a Lieutenant, my name is Milliardo Peacecraft, not Zechs Merquise.

"Peace. . .craft? But. . ."

Mister Otto, sir, my Aries is acting weird! Chris called out over the comlink, looking wildly at the controls as his suit began to beep at him.

"Chris, what did you do!" Otto said, watching the Aries stumble and jerk nervously in the air.

Nothing, sir, it says the engines are flooded, what does that mean!

"Abort, I repeat, get out of there!" Just then, his own mobile suit began to malfunction.

__

I don't understand, I thought I fixed its problems! Otto thought, trying to repair it from inside.

Otto, what's going on? Milliardo called to his friend as he saw the outer affects being shown on his and the others' Aries.

"I don't know, this shouldn't be happening!"

Having some engine troubles? On Otto's view screen Lieutenant Caster appeared, a cocky grin on his face.

"Caster, what did you do!" Otto yelled in anger.

I'm just ending your little mutiny, we can't have you running around leading the enemy to our bases. Treize will understand, this is for the best. Caster smiled coldly. In a matter of seconds, the engines cut out and they began to fall to the ground, their suits bursting into flames.

Otto, OTTO! Milliardo cried out, diving to catch the suit before it hit the ground. Suddenly, the suits paused and gently touched down on the ground, surprising everyone, except one.

"Having probs? Lemme help you." Duo said, grinning. He flew off toward the airplane, stopping just feet from it. Raising his left arm, he aimed his Buster Shield at the plane, saying, "I think Treize would understand this better." He launched the Buster Shield and it tore through the plane quickly, sending it off course and careening into the trees. A burning explosion soon followed the crash and everyone let out a sigh. The battle was over. Tallgeese landed by the still burning Aries and Milliardo stepped out, shouting down to them, "Otto, get out of that thing before it explodes!" As Deathscythe returned to the group, one of the Aries suits exploded, sending parts flying everywhere. One particularly large chunk flew at Tallgeese, crashing into it and sending it crashing into the ground.

"Milliardo, NO!" Noin yelled, lunging forward to run to his aid.

"Ah, Lady Une. . ." Treize rose from his chair to greet his dinner guest. Une gracefully approached in a blue dress, tightly wrapped around her curves and plunging a bit in the front to reveal her cleavage, white pearls around her neck and dangling from her ears. Her hair gently draped down over her shoulders and seductively floated over her chest as she walked up, shimmering even in the dim restaurant candlelight. She stopped in front of Treize and he took her hand gingerly, bringing it up to his lips to kiss the back of it. She tried to hold back the shiver that ran up her spine as she said calmly, "Please forgive my tardiness, Mr. Treize, the driver got stuck in traffic."

"That's of no concern to me, you're here now. Let me get your chair for you. . ." Treize stepped over to her chair and pulled it out, allowing Une to gracefully sit down before scooting it back in. He walked back over to his own chair and said as he sat down himself, "Lady Une, you look stunning this evening, I'm glad you came without your glasses as I requested." She blushed a bit and said, looking down, "Anything for you, sir."

"Anything? My. . .I hope you're referring to business only, Une. . ." Treize smiled. She blinked and said, sounding slightly flustered, "Of course, sir. . ." He reached across the table and took one of her hands, saying in a soft voice, "Please, leave the formalities in the workplace. . .we're off duty, you know, you don't have to call me 'sir' all the time."

"I'm sorry, s. . .Mr. Treize. . ." Une looked down shyly. "I'll try not to."

"Good. . ." Treize released her hand and picked up his menu, saying, "Now, shall we order? Price is of no concern, get whatever you would like."

"If you insist. . .Mr. Treize." Une said shyly, opening her own menu to scan the selection. After the waiter had come by and taken their orders, they sat quietly enjoying the soft French music playing in the background. Une reached to her glass of water and began to sip at it daintily, her eyes closed. Treize watched her intently, his elbows resting on the edge of the table and his fingers laced together, his mouth resting against his hands. Une peeked open her eyes as she lowered the glass, startled by how closely she was being watched. Blinking, she put her glass down on the table and said, "Mr. Treize, do you wish to ask me a question?"

"Yes, actually. I was curious. . .who's been giving the orders for the production of these mobile Dolls we seem to be using now?"

"Why. . .you have, Mr. Treize." Une responded, seeming a little confused by his question.

"I have? Well, I don't recall ever giving such orders. . .I don't even know what these things are, I've only heard mention of them in reports lately."

"But. . .I have papers signed by yourself for the order of their supplies, how could you not know about them?"

"Because. . .I didn't sign any such papers. Une, who gave you these papers?"

"I don't know, they were on my desk one day and it had your signature so I just sent on the orders. Mr. Treize, are you sure you didn't sign them? Perhaps when you were busy and might have forgotten-"

"I don't forget things, Lady Une." Treize fired back sharply, seeming insulted. She timidly looked down and said, "I'm sorry." He softened his expression and said, "You should know me better, we've worked together for long enough, haven't we?"

"I do suppose so. . .but, Mr. Treize, is it really that bad? These new Doll versions of the mobile suits are far more advanced than anything the enemy has and it doesn't require a pilot so lives can be spared."

"Without soldiers a war is nothing but a game of destruction, it takes away the restrictions men give to it. The only person I can think of that wouldn't understand that is. . .Dekim. . ." Treize almost growled out the name as he frowned, looking extremely cross. Une blinked and said, "But. . .how could he copy your signature? I would have known if it was a fake!"

"The man has many hidden talents. . .Une, did you honestly think I would want such a disgraceful thing to be created?" She bowed her head shamefully and said, "No, sir, of course not." Treize closed his eyes in thought just as their food came. He opened them again and took his napkin off the table, carefully placing it in his lap as he said, "Eat your meal before it gets cold, Une, we need to hurry up. I have some business to take care of and must get to it as soon as possible." As Une slowly ate her meal, she kept her eyes downcast to avoid eye contact. Treize finished before she was even half done and touched the napkin quickly to his lips. Standing, he said as he fixed his suit and tie, "Lady Une, continue without me, I'll see you on base in the morning." She tried to get up to follow but he put his hand out in front of her to stop her. She froze and looked up, slowly taking his hand as he said, "My Lady. . .please. . .stay." He kissed her hand slowly and glanced deeply into her eyes as she took a breath, her heart fluttering in her chest. He stopped and looked her straight in the eye, saying, "Une, what's the matter?"

"Matter? Nothing, why would you ask that. . ." Une said, feeling a burning sensation on her cheeks.

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No, stop blushing you idiot, he'll know! Une screamed to herself in her mind, clearing her throat nervously as Treize smiled. He leaned toward her and whispered, "Goodnight. . .Lady. . ." He kissed her softly on the cheek and stepped back, nodding his head a little as he left. Une watched him exit the restaurant, feeling his lips still on her cheek as she touched the spot the kiss had been placed, saying quietly, "Why. . .did he kiss me? Does he know? He couldn't. . .he. . .can't. . ."


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing cause my money hasn't come in yet…curses the Fair's name as she plots their demise Anyway, I have some original characters in this chapter such as the commander and two nurses, plus other characters to come that were mentioned. Darn, I spoiled future plot twists… Forget what I said, you didn't hear anything! .

Chapter 42

"Quatre, are you awake?" Trowa spoke softly to his flight companion, not wanting to wake him in case he wasn't. Quatre stirred in his seat but didn't open his eyes as he cringed and moaned uncomfortably, turning in his seat to face Trowa. Pondering his physical condition, Trowa watched Quatre for a moment before looking back out into the endless sky.

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I hope he makes it. . .he's such a good pilot and we need him to end this pointless war. Trowa thought logically, slightly slouching in his seat as he steadied the plane and checked the radar. He let his eyes drift closed for a second before popping them open again and sitting up straight, tilting his head from side to side to stretch his neck.

"You look tired. . .Trowa. . ." Blinking, Trowa looked over to find Quatre awake and staring sleepily at him.

"Quatre, you should rest, it will be a while until we get to the nearest city." Trowa said in a concerned voice.

"And leave you all alone? Besides, I have rested, I'll be. . .fine." Quatre tried to sit up but his head began to pound.

"You can't convince me of anything when you look uncomfortable, just go back to sleep and relax."

"No, I'm fine, really."

"Quatre. . ." Trowa looked at him sternly.

"But. . .I want to talk to you." Blinking, Trowa looked surprised as he said, "About what?"

"I don't know. . .I just want to talk."

"Oh. . ." Trowa looked back out at the passing clouds as he searched for something to start a conversation about.

"What's your favorite kind of music?" Quatre asked with a slight smile, trying to sound happy.

"Favorite? I. . .I don't really have a favorite. . ." Trowa said softly.

"You don't? Do you have a favorite anything?"

"Not really. I never thought about having a liking to any certain thing. . ."

"Really? Well. . .we should get you a favorite thing!" Quatre said cheerfully before coughing. Trowa frowned sadly at him and said, "Quatre, now isn't the time to be all excited over something so trifling, you should be resting."

"Are you really just concerned for my health or avoiding any form of communication that involves personal information?"

"Pick one." Trowa said with a cocked eyebrow, turning his attention to his piloting again. Quatre frowned and said, "You don't have to be so secretive around me, Trowa, I'm your friend and ally! Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that, I do trust you. . ."

"Then. . .what's the problem?"

"I just don't like talking about myself."

"Why not?" Quatre blinked innocently. Trowa frowned in discomfort and said, "Why don't you tell me about yourself."

"Because I already know about myself, I want to get to know you."

"What's your favorite music?" Trowa changed the subject. Sighing in defeat, Quatre said, "Well, I suppose I prefer classical music, something I can play along with with my violin. Hey, you like to play the flute, you can say it's your favorite instrument!"

"I. . .suppose. . ." Trowa looked over warily.

"Well, that's a start. What else can we say is your favorite. . .oh, your gundam is your favorite, is it not?"

"Only because it is the only one available, if a better model was free I would give up Heavyarms." Quatre frowned and said, "Really? I thought you liked your gundam. . .I wouldn't trade Sandrock in for anything! She's good and reliable and we make a good team. I'd rather pilot something I'm familiar with than take chances with foreign controls. When it comes down to it, old things are better than new. Stick with what you know, right?"

"You refer to your suit as 'she'. . ." Trowa cocked an eyebrow. Quatre smiled shyly and said, "Well. . ."

"I see. . .you would rather have your hands on a female's parts than a male's?" Quatre's eyes widened and he responded, flustered, "TROWA! Don't say things like that, it sounds wrong!"

"Only if you think that way. . ." Trowa looked away, almost a grin on his face as he raised his eyebrows. Quatre frowned in embarrassment and said, "Is that why you refer to Heavyarms as 'it'? You're not sure which you'd prefer touching?"

"Now who's saying double meaning sentences?" Trowa glowered. Quatre grinned and said, "What's wrong, don't like the taste of your own medicine? Then don't dish it if you can't take it."

"You sure have a mean streak in you, Quatre Winner. I never would have guessed you for the snide responses."

"Well, we all have our secret sides, right. . .Trowa?" Quatre peered at him. Trowa looked uncomfortable under his stare and said, "You're not acting like you're sick, I suppose you're feeling better then. . ."

"Not really, I'm just trying to forget that my stomach's still churning uneasily and my body feels like one big goosebump." With a frown of concern, Trowa said, "Then you should-"

"Keep talking? I don't want to sleep, the discomfort gives me bad dreams."

"Like what?"

"Like. . .seeing people I care about die and I can't stop it. . ."

"People like who?" Trowa looked over curiously.

Incoming transport ship, identify yourself! A demanding voice called out over the comlink. Trowa looked down at the flashing button on the control panel and pressed it, saying, "My name is David Schroder, requesting permission to land for medical care."

Sick? The last thing we need is more dying people around here! Take your illness elsewhere, we're full! The female voice said snidely. Trowa frowned and said, "More dying people? Is there an epidemic I'm not aware of?"

Where have you been, hiding under a rock! Of course there's an epidemic, of casualties! This war has gotten out of control and we're suffering for it! We don't have any room to spare for outsiders so go bother someone else.

"I don't need a sickbed, just medicine for influenza. My flight companion has fallen ill and our city is out of supplies, could you spare some for him?"

Well. . .as long as he stays on the plane, we don't need him spreading what he's got and making things worse! Land and I'll take you to get supplies. The transmission ended abruptly and Quatre said, "Rude, isn't she?" Trowa grunted and flew into an open docking bay door to land. After leaving Quatre with instructions in case anything happened while he was gone, Trowa exited the plane and walked up to a short black girl, looking about 15. He blinked as she bossed around some poor boy shaking nervously and nodding with fear in his eyes.

"And what will happen if this happens again! TELL ME!" The girl screamed.

"I'll never have children. . ." The boy moaned.

"And?" She crossed her arms.

"You'll kick me so hard my ancestors will feel it and kick me too for causing them pain."

"Good! Now that you understand the rules, get back to work and don't mess up anymore! The last thing we need is lazy people slacking off when there's NO time to be wasting! Get out of my sight! I don't want to see you for the rest of the day!" The boy ran away like his pants were on fire and disappeared in mere seconds as the girl shook her head and grumbled, "Such incompetence. . .why me. . ."

"Excuse me. . ." Trowa said quietly as he inched cautiously closer to her. She whirled around and stared him down.

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Man, what a look! She could stare Heero down with that face. . .Trowa thought as he cleared his throat.

"What! I'm busy, if you're looking for a job go ask the dock manager!" She turned to leave and Trowa said, "No, I'm here for the medicine! Are you the girl who-"

"Oh, it's you." She said almost distastefully, "Yeah, that was me. Come on, I'll show you to the hospital. . .and keep up with me, I don't-"

"You don't have time to waste. . .I heard you." Trowa finished. She stepped up to him and poked him in the chest, saying in a low voice, "And I don't like people interrupting me, so watch yourself or you'll wake up in a hospital bed. . .or maybe a ditch."

"Yes, ma'am. . ." Trowa said, trying not to sound mocking. She grunted and turned sharply, storming off toward a door quickly. Trowa dashed after her to catch up and followed her to the hospital as he glared at the back of her head. A few minutes later they entered the front doors of the medical ward, walking over to the front desk. The girl banged her fist on the desk and scared the nurse who was searching through a file cabinet with her back to them. She quickly turned around and said in a disturbed voice, "Ms. Amanda! M-may I help you?"

"Yes, this man needs medicine, assist him in finding what he needs, I don't have time to wait around. You can find your way back, can't you? GOOD, I must go now. . ." She didn't even wait for him to respond as she turned sharply and ran into a nurse carrying an armful of medical supplies, which went flying everywhere as the nurse fell down.

"Oh!" The nurse gasped as she hit the ground, wincing.

"Clumsy! Get off that floor and watch where you're going next time!" Amanda barked at the nurse.

"Y. . .yes, Ms. Amanda. . ." She muttered, keeping her eyes on the floor. With a snort, Amanda stormed out of the hospital to return to her work. The nurse moaned and slowly began reaching for a wrap of gauze laying a few feet from her. Trowa bent down and picked it up, handing it to her and saying, "Here." She looked up at him and smiled, saying in a mousy voice, "Thank you. . ."

"No problem. She sure is mean to people, not even saying sorry to you. . ." Trowa commented as he helped her pick up the scattered items.

"She's our military commander, it comes with the territory." The nurse said.

"Commander? But she's nothing more than a child."

"She's our old commander's daughter, he died in battle and she felt responsible so she took his place. It's not her fault, this war has changed everyone. . ." The nurse behind the desk said as she leaned over the edge to looked down at them. Trowa looked up at her then back down at the young nurse, saying quietly, "What's your name?" She blushed and said, "Alyssa. . ." With a smile, Trowa said, "My name's David. . .it's nice to meet a friendly face." She looked down as she smiled shyly and picked up the last item and put it on the pan she had been carrying it all on. Standing, she picked up the pan and held it firmly, saying as she brushed aside some loose strands of red hair, "It was nice to meet you too, and. . .thank you for helping. I must go or Amanda might yell at me for stopping."

"Of course. . ." Trowa stepped aside and let her pass as she scurried off to her duties. The nurse behind the desk smiled and said, "She's such a hard worker. . .she has to feed two siblings and her parents too, ya know. . ." Trowa stared at her and said, "Are you serious?"

"Her dad's been maimed so he'll never be able to walk again and her mom's sick so she can't work. Her older brother, Michael, isn't around to help because he joined OZ. It crushed his little sister when he left. . .she didn't understand why he left them. . .hey, what did you come here for?"

"Medicine for influenza."

"Ah, come this way, I'll get it for you." The nurse motioned to him to follow and they walked back into a supply room. He stopped at the doorway and watched her as she searched the shelves for something. Finally, she grabbed a bottle full of pills and walked over to a cabinet on the wall by the door. She took out an empty bottle and started pouring pills into the empty container, saying to Trowa as she watched the pills drop in, "Take 2 a day for a week with food and get plenty of sleep."

"It's not for me, it's for a friend."

"I figured. . .where's this friend?"

"He's in our transport. . .he wouldn't tell me about it till it was too late to do anything to prevent it." Trowa said in a quiet voice. The nurse smiled and closed the bottle, handing it to Trowa and saying, "Well you just make sure he takes these pills and he should be all better." Trowa nodded and walked back out to the hallway. The nurse entered her small front desk, sitting down and typing on her keyboard. Trowa blinked and leaned against the desk, saying, "Should I pay for this?"

"Oh, go ahead and take it, it's alright. The only thing we're short on is blood, illness medicine isn't really a necessity."

"Blood? Hmm. . .I. . .could donate some to you as a sort of payment. . ."

"I wouldn't want to take your time. . ." The nurse began to stand.

"A fair trade. . ." Trowa said. She smiled and walked out to him and said, "This is awfully generous of you. . .thank you. This way. . ." She led him down the hallway to a room where she could take his blood. He sat down in a chair as she got some supplies needed and said, "Are you sensitive to needles or anything?"

"I don't mind pain, it doesn't bother me." Trowa said dully. She walked over to him and wrapped a cord around his upper arm, tapping the veins that bulged from his lower arm as he made a fist for her.

"My. . .you sure are strong. . .we could use some muscle like you around here to fight off those darn OZ people. . ."

"I can't, I have my own people to protect. We had to leave in the middle of battle. . ." Trowa said in his monotone voice. She began to draw his blood and stuck the small needle into his arm carefully and gently. He didn't even seem to notice it as he looked off into the distance, waiting for her to finish. She found a decent vein and hooked him up to a bag, letting the red liquid flow into it.

"Now, are you sure this is alright? I can stop if you feel dizzy. . ."

"I won't." Trowa said simply. She looked down and around, slightly nervous. Trowa glanced at her, noticing her actions and blinking. Looking at him, she said, "What?"

"You look uncomfortable. . ." Trowa said.

"Not really. . .it's just odd to see a stranger who has the build of a soldier and a rather laid back attitude. . .and quiet."

"I'm not the talkative type. . ."

"I understand." She said with a smile. She looked down to check the bag as she said, "So. . .David, is it? I have a cousin with that name."

"It's a fairly common name. . ." Trowa said calmly, sensing a slight bit of tension in the air.

"Yes, it is. . ."

"What's your name?" Trowa asked, trying to keep her occupied until he could leave.

"Oh, sorry, my name's Catherine! I don't think that's as common as David. . ." She said with a light chuckle.

"Catherine. . .I have a friend with that name. . ." He said, looking a little spacey as he made that comment. Catherine stared at his face for a minute as she said, "Is she back at that battle you mentioned?"

"No, she's a long ways from here. . .hopefully safe."

"Do you miss her?" Trowa looked down at her, a little surprised.

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I don't know her. . .it wouldn't be a danger to be honest. . .Trowa thought as she waited for a response.

"Yes. . .I do. . ." He said, looking away. Catherine looked down and checked the bag again, saying softly, "Is she a close friend or maybe. . .girlfriend?" Trowa glanced at her, looking slightly unnerved by the comment. She blushed and looked away, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm being too nosy! Everyone always tells me I'm a snoop and I should learn to keep my comments to myself. . ."

"She's really like a sister to me. . .I've known her for a while now. . ."

"I see. . .so. . .do you even have a girlfriend? Such a good looking guy like you must have someone waiting for you back home or wherever!" Trowa blinked in surprise and said, "No, I don't have anyone that close to me. . ."

"Oh. . ." She smiled and looked down at the bag again. She began to disconnect it as Trowa said, "Do you need any more?"

"Huh? I can't take anymore, you wouldn't be able to leave! This is enough, it's that much more than we have already!" She said with a smile. Taking out the needle, she put a ball of cotton over the hole and bandaged it down, saying, "Just be careful when you leave, you may feel a little light headed." He nodded and stood slowly, being cautious as he stepped out into the hallway. He followed her back down to the front desk and said, "Thank you for the medicine, I hope it's not much of an inconvenience."

"Oh no, it's no problem! Thank you. . .it was nice of you to donate this." Catherine said, motioning to the blood bag. He nodded and stepped forward to go but she touched his shoulder, saying as she ran around the desk, "Wait a second!" He looked a little nervous but blinked as she tossed him a juice box. He looked at it curiously and she said, "You need some energy to build back up what blood you lost, take care!" He briefly saluted to her with the juice box and popped the straw in the foil hole, taking a sip as he walked out. Catherine giggled and waved to him, sighing and leaning her elbows against the desk as she rested her chin on her hands, watching him leave.

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He sure was a cutie. . .too bad he can't stay around for a while. . .Catherine thought, smiling at his disappearing figure as he walked outside and back to the docking bay.


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. I also don't claim that Heero would be a complete bumbutt and make Relena haul his heavy self around. . .

Chapter 43

"Milliardo, how are you feeling?" Noin asked as she saw her blonde haired friend's eyes slowly open. He looked over at her groggily and moaned, saying, "What. . .happened?"

"You got hit by some debris from that Aries that exploded, don't you remember?"

"That's right. . .I don't feel like I'm hurt though. . ." Milliardo said, trying to sit up. He noticed a slight heavy feeling to his back and he blinked, looking over his shoulder. With wide eyes, he looked back up at Noin who looked down innocently.

"WHAT THE HECK?" Milliardo's outburst echoed in the cave like thunder.

"I guess Zechs is awake. . ." Heero commented from his gundam as he gave it a brief battle repair. Rachel looked over at the flustered and furious man and sighed, saying, "Well, you know it's the only way we could have gotten him to accept the powers. . .let's just not tell him about his sister quite yet. . ."

"No kidding. . ." Heero grunted. Rachel shook her head and strolled over to Milliardo, saying, "Good to see you're still lively as ever, Milliardo. . ." Looking at her fiercely, he said, "What did you do to me! I never agreed to this!"

"I know, I also knew you would never willingly concede so I just took the liberty of doing it while you were out cold." He frowned in anger and said, "Why, isn't there already enough angels around here!"

"I just thought you'd like to be the same age as Noin. . .you know. . .so you weren't younger and all. . ."

"What does that have to do with it?" Rachel grinned and leaned over toward him, whispering, "Like I didn't see you two making out behind us in the cave. . .just because I'm sucking face doesn't mean I don't see what's goin down around me." With a wink, she walked happily away as Milliardo stared wide-eyed in surprise, left speechless by her remark. Noin blushed and grinned as Milliardo kept blinking, trying to think of something to say back. She touched his shoulder and he snapped out of his trance, looking back at her. She looked into his eyes with hers and said, "You don't mind that people know about us. . .do you? Or are you going to just turn away and pretend that didn't happen just to ignore the embarrassment?"

"I. . .I. . ." He was still at a loss for words. She shook her head as she chuckled, leaning closer and saying, "Oh, stop trying. . ." She put her hand behind his head and pulled him into a kiss, feeling his arms wrap around her as he gave in to her.

"Excuse me, but is Milliardo alright?" Otto asked as he approached Rachel. She turned to him and smiled, saying, "Oh yes, oh course."

"Then. . .why's he acting so strangely?" He glanced over at Milliardo as he and Noin made out on the cots.

"It's not that important. What I would like to know is if you're on our side now, Otto, since OZ seems to have turned against you."

"On. . .your side? What side exactly is that?"

"The peace side." Rachel smiled.

"But. . .I thought OZ wanted peace. . .or at least I did up until about a half hour ago. . ." Otto grumbled, remembering the betrayal.

"OZ is a dictatorship, they want to be the rulers of the world and put everyone under their oppression, that's why we're fighting them, for our freedom!"

"I see. . .so. . .you want me to join forces with you? How do you know I won't betray you?"

"Because, I trust Zechs and you are loyal to him. . .am I wrong?" Otto looked surprised and said, "N. . .no. . ."

"Then do I have your trust, Lieutenant Otto?" Rachel put out her hand. Otto looked at it for a minute and then proudly shook her hand, saying, "You have my word, I will fight with you for the good of peace."

"I'll help too! WAH!" Ensign Chris came running up and tripped, falling flat on his face in a rather undignified manner. Otto sighed in shame as he shook his head and Rachel chuckled, walking over to the boy trying to stand. She put out her hand and Chris looked up into her happy face as she said, "Welcome aboard, Ensign, it's good to have someone like you with us." Chris smiled and took her hand, allowing her to help him up. Chris blushed as he scratched his head, saying, "I hope I can be of help to you, I'm not the most coordinated person in the world!"

"That's fine, it's what's up there that counts, not your gracefulness. . ." Rachel poked his forehead with a grin.

"Or lack thereof. . ." Chris laughed. They all laughed merrily as they discussed future plans and countermeasures against OZ's rising fleet. Meanwhile, Heero began scraping junk off Wing's hull and flicking it into the air to be out of the way, careful not to scratch the paint. He flung a particularly large chunk and heard a complaint, looking down to see, in his opinion, a ravishing brunette with a luscious body. With a slight grin, he shouted down, "Sorry. . .didn't mean to hit you. . ."

"It's alright, do you mind coming down for a minute?" The girl said. He quickly did so and landed in front of her, saying, "What is it, Relena?" She smiled coyly and wrapped her arms around him, saying as she fingered his hair, "I just wanted to see you. . .you've been playing with your Gundam ever since the battle ended. . ." He ran his hand down her long, golden brown hair down to her lower back where his hand rested, pulling her closer as he said, "Would you rather I played with you?"

"Well. . .just paying attention to me a little more than your toys would be nice. . .you treat that thing like it's your baby or something. . ."

"That's impossible. . .because you're my baby. . ." He kissed her and she giggled, leaning her head against his chest with a sigh. He rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes, whispering, "You're so beautiful now, a real woman. . ."

"And what was I before?" Relena queried quietly.

"A beautiful young lady. . ." Relena smiled and turned, leaning her back against his strong frame as she looked over at her brother and Noin. Heero wrapped his arms around hers and held her tight as she tilted her head to the side with a smile.

"Almost everyone here has someone to love. . .maybe we should find the last three boys some girl, what do you think?" Relena said, watching as Zechs wrestled with Noin a little before sweeping her up off her feet and flying off somewhere out of sight.

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I think two of them have their eyes set on one that's taken already. . .Heero thought, tilting his head down to rest his face in her hair.

"I'm not about to play matchmaker, Relena. . ." Heero muttered through her golden locks.

"Well, you don't have to do anything of you're gonna be a bum about it!"

"I think they'll find someone on their own. I found you, didn't I?" He gave her a soft squeeze and she smiled.

"As I recall, Trowa found me first. . ." Relena grinned slyly, looking up into his face. Heero frowned and muttered, "Are we going to go into the details or just say I found you in the first place? Technically?"

"Well, if we're being technical, I found YOU, remember? I saw you laying on the beach and you woke up and freaked out on me. . ." Relena rolled her eyes. Heero sighed and leaned on her, saying, "You tire me sometimes, you know that?"

"Just sometimes?" Relena smiled. Giggling, she grabbed his arms and started hauling him over to where Rachel and Otto were talking about their truce. Heero didn't complain as he enjoyed the ride, and put more weight on her than he would have normally just to be a pain. Rachel shook her head at them and said, "Are you two having fun?"

"I am." Heero said quietly, lazily draped over Relena's back as she huffed to a stop and dumped him off.

"Heero Yuy, you need to go on a diet or something! You weigh as much as a horse!" Relena complained.

"I am a stallion. . .purebred stud. . ." Heero cocked an eyebrow at her as he put his hands in his pockets. She rolled her eyes and said to Rachel, "So, any plans as of yet?"

"Not quite, I was thinking it would be better to wait for Quatre and Trowa to get back before we made any plans." Rachel responded as she turned to face her. Heero pulled his hands out of his pockets and draped his arms over Relena's shoulders, wrapping one around her neck and leaning in close.

"I think we should continue with plans and have them meet up with us whenever they're done what they're doing." Heero stated in his monotone voice.

"Well. . .I suppose we really don't have much time to waste. . .but their fleets have become so widely spread, how can we take them out?"

"We have the upper hand now, or should I say 'wing'. . ." Heero commented, displaying his feathered appendages as they reformed on his back. Chris' eyes widened and he gasped, backing up a few steps.

"What the!" Chris exclaimed.

"Heero, you dope, they don't know!" Relena hissed. The wings disappeared and he said nonchalantly, "They do now."

"What is going on here!" Chris started freaking out. Milliardo noticed the rise of conversation and decided to join, leaving Noin's side reluctantly.

"Is something the matter?" Milliardo asked.

"Chris, calm down! It's alright!" Otto said sternly to the young man.

"But, but, he. . ." Chris pointed a shaky finger at Heero as he stumbled backwards in slow retreat.

"I know, it's nothing to worry about, Ensign." Otto reassured him.

"You know?" Milliardo asked.

"Yes, this young lady explained things to me while you were resting, I'm fully on your side and ready to assist however I'm needed." Otto said proudly.

"That's great, thank you, Otto." Milliardo said with a grateful smile, shaking his hand.

"How about we work on that plan?" Heero suggested in a more demanding tone.

"Quatre, I got your medicine." Trowa said quietly as he entered their plane's cockpit. He approached the seat and peered over at his friend to find him asleep. He gently shook his shoulder and whispered, "Quatre, wake up." Stirring, his greenish blue eyes quickly popped open and he stared up at Trowa in surprise as he jerked to a sitting position. Realizing it was just his friend, Quatre relaxed back into his seat.

"Oh, it's you. I thought it might have been that bossy little girl. She's been yelling at me from outside, ya know. . ." Quatre moaned, trying to sit up straight as his head spun. Trowa knelt next to Quatre's seat and began opening the bottle, saying, "She is a brat but you have to understand her position, she apparently had to take over for her father who died recently. He used to run this city but now she has to, hard thing for a 15 year old to do in a situation such as this."

"That poor girl. . .I wonder if she acted this way before she had to take on such a demanding job. . ." Quatre said, sounding almost sympathetic. Trowa didn't respond as he tapped the pill bottle and let a medium sized yellow pill bounce out into his hand.

"You have to take two of these a day, so you might as well take one now and another when we get back to camp. Oh no. . ."

"What is it?" Quatre looked down at him.

"You're supposed to take this with food. . .what do you suppose would happen if you didn't because I don't have anything. . ." Trowa wondered.

"He would start vomiting violently." They both turned to see a silhouette of a girl standing in the doorway with something in her hands. Trowa stood and said in surprise, "Alyssa, I thought you had work to-"

"I heard about your friend and thought that maybe this could help you. Since you just came from a war, it's very unlikely you would think of bringing food along for a medicine run. Here, take this." She stretched out her hands and Trowa took the bag from her, looking at is as he said, "Thank you. . ."

"It's nothing much, just a ham and cheese sandwich with a juice box and some crackers, I hope it's enough." Alyssa said, shyly folding her hands in front of her. Trowa looked up and stepped closer to her, whispering, "This. . .isn't your lunch, is it?"

"No. . ." She looked away.

"Dinner?"

"Please, just take it. It's all I can do in hopes of helping stop this petty war!" Alyssa said, tears brimming her eyes as she turned and ran out of the plane. Trowa blinked in surprise and quickly tossed the bag to Quatre, saying, "Eat that and take the pill, I'll be right back." He ran out of the plane after her and came to a stop as he saw Alyssa get cornered by Amanda. He dashed over to them just as Amanda began to tear into Alyssa maliciously.

"Stop! Leave her alone!" Trowa exclaimed as he came to a stop by Alyssa's side. Alyssa gasped in surprise and Trowa blinked, a little surprised himself by his reaction.

"Shouldn't you be leaving by now! You've been here too long and have quite worn out your welcome!" Amanda growled at him.

"I'll leave, but I can't go without saying this to you. Amanda, I'm sure you're having a hard time dealing with this situation but that gives you no right to treat your help like trash! That is no way to gain allies, it's the quickest way to grow enemies! When you're attacked, who do you think will rescue you? No one." Trowa growled in a controlled voice. Alyssa turned to him and said in a stern voice, "No, I will save her. She may be a hard case to put up with but she's all we have. Please understand, I'm grateful for your help but don't. . .you don't understand us." Trowa looked shocked.

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Why would she defend someone who would gladly push her into harm's way if it meant getting away alive? I. . .I don't understand. . .Trowa blinked. A little squeal echoed into the hangar and everyone turned to see a little red haired girl bouncing over to them. With a sigh, Alyssa turned back to them briefly and said, "I'm sorry for delaying my duties, ma'am, it won't happen again. Excuse me. . ." She took off in the direction of the child and scooped her up, carrying her back out of the docking bay and disappearing. Trowa stared after her in deep thought for a few minutes after her departure, still stuck on her reaction. Amanda seemed slightly set back by the defensive remark as well but shook it off quickly, saying in a quiet but stern voice, "Can you please be on your way now, Mr. Schroder? As you can see. . .we're quite busy."

"Yes. . .of course. Thank you for your time, sorry to have wasted so much of it." Trowa bowed in recognition and turned to walk back toward his plane.

"Not at all. . .it was a pleasure. . ." Trowa blinked and looked back but she had already dashed off to order around some other lost worker wandering about the docking bay. His head spun in confusion and he stumbled a bit as he turned to return to the plane. As he walked into the cockpit, his vision faltered slightly and he paused in the doorway, closing his eyes to let his head clear.

"Trowa, are you alright?" Quatre whispered, looking up from his seat sleepily. Trowa slowly nodded and finally walked over to his chair, slowly sinking into it. He began to slowly push buttons on the control board to start the plane and Quatre caught a glimpse of the bandage on his arm. Blinking, Quatre said, "Are you sure you're fine? You seem a bit. . .off your edge."

"I'm fine, Quatre. . ." Trowa said, a little irritation in his voice by the questioning. Sulking down into his seat, Quatre sighed and buckled up, getting comfortable for the ride back to camp.


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. This story has changed from the original timeline drastically so don't complain about people who are living when they're suppose to be dead or people dead when they're suppose to be living. . .which I really haven't incorporated into the story yet, not that I would. . .um. . .nevermind. . Oh, and don't fuss about details, I'm making Dekim's base of operations on Colony L5 because. . .well, because I'm the writer and I want to, so there! J/k.

Chapter 44

"Okay, so. . .that's the plan? Let me be the first to say this. . .you're crazy!" Duo exclaimed. Rachel, who was standing at the moment on the outside of the circle of people, looked at her boyfriend with malice after explaining her plan in detail for the past hour only to have it shot down by the very person she loved. Putting her hands on her hips, she said, "Well if my idea was so stupid why didn't you cut in an HOUR ago before I wasted all this time for nothing!"

"Hey, sorry! I guess I was too caught up in staring at you. . .you get that cute little look in your eyes when you're determined about something, hehe." Duo grinned innocently. She glared at him and he blinked, saying, "There's that glint again. . ."

"Yeah, can you guess what I'm determined to do now?" Rachel asked, her eye slightly twitching.

"Ring his neck? At least smack him in the head, please. . ." Chang commented, his arms crossed as usual. With a long and exhausted sigh, Rachel said, "Alright, what's wrong with my plan. . ."

"Well, for one thing-" Duo started into it.

"It's fine, when can we get started." Milliardo cut him off.

"What! Were you somewhere else or something? Why would going out and fighting in our present states as ANGELS all over the world be fine!"

"Well, it's a very detailed plan, you have to give her some credit for thinking it up at least. . ." Otto commented.

"Yes, and everyone will have a job. You just don't like the idea of being so far away from Rachel. . ." Heero said, glancing at Duo's red face.

"Well maybe that has something to do with my complaints but come on, people, be serious! We honestly don't know much about these powers of ours! What happens when we run out of energy and it's in just the wrong place! We could get killed!" Duo defended his opinion.

"He's actually got a point. . ." Noin said. Duo nodded proudly and cocked his chin up.

"It's reasonable. . .if it was actually a problem." Chang commented. Everyone stared at him and Duo blinked in surprise, saying, "Say what? Where have you been!"

"Meditating. . ." Chang said, his eyes closed.

"Do you think by just sitting around you can save energy? Yeah, nothing like being a lump to destroy the enemy. . ." Duo said sarcastically.

"No, Maxwell, on the contrary. . .by meditating, I can focus my powers better and lengthen the time I'm able to use them. . .with longer periods of meditation I can lengthen it even more. Over time I shouldn't have to do that anymore, my powers should develop on their own. . ."

"When have you had time to figure this out?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Between battles and discussions. While you've been busy flapping your gums I've been perfecting my abilities. . ." Chang said snidely.

"Would being a pain be one of your 'abilities'?" Duo mumbled mockingly as he gave Chang a side glare. Chang glared back and said, "If you're going to be rude, maybe I won't share my knowledge. . ."

"Woah, didn't mean to insult the master in the art of 'sitting around'. . ." Duo said with a mocking face, doing quotation marks with his fingers.

"Can we just stop bickering? We'll end up destroying each other before we can even get out of the cave!" Relena said, getting irritated by the flames being passed around. Both Chang and Duo grunted and crossed their arms, turning away from each other snobbishly. Rachel shook her head as she sighed, saying, "Well, that's great, Chang. You don't mind showing us a little of your secret, do you?"

"Not at all. . .as long as 'someone' doesn't mock me behind my back. . ." Chang commented in spite. Rachel glared at Duo and he immediately stopped making fun of Chang.

"Alright, shall we begin our training?" Rachel said, trying to smile to lighten the mood. As they formed a circle to prepare for a lesson in meditation, Relena whispered to Heero, "But Quatre and Trowa will be left out. . ."

"Don't worry, we'll inform them later. . .and hopefully they won't need the extra energy boost anyway."

"Lady Une, I'm glad you're here." Treize rose from his chair as Une entered his office, fully dressed in her uniform. She paused to salute him and said, "Sir, I got your message to come in early."

"Yes. Have a seat, I'd like to discuss something with you. . ." She confidently walked over to a chair by Treize's desk and sat down, listening as he said, sitting himself, "I would like you to head the attack wave to the Colonies."

"The Colonies? But sir. . ."

"I know our forces aren't fully ready yet for it but I wanted you to head the plans and the whole mission. You're in change."

"But Your Excellency, why the Colonies? Don't take it as an undermining of your authority, I'm just curious, it's such a change from the current plans of battle."

"I'm glad you asked. The shipment orders for these Mobile Dolls have been tracked back to the Colonies, on the L5 Colony to be exact. That is where I believe Dekim Barton's hidden facilities are located and I want you to take them out."

"Yes, sir. When can plans proceed?"

"By my calculations, preparation for the attack shouldn't take more than 2 days, so be ready to leave ASAP."

"Yes, sir." Une nodded. Treize turned then in his chair to face his desk, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the edge of it. He stared at the monitor in front of him, currently set to a view of the battle training room.

"All those soldiers. . .having no idea how close to the end we are." Treize said, his eyes sparkling with the hopes of their outcome in the battle being victory. Une watched his reaction, thinking, _I can't let his Excellency down. . .we must be victorious! No matter what the cost. . ._

Chang peeked open his eyes for a moment and glanced over at Rachel, finding her staring off into the distance. He closed his eyes and thought, _"Rachel, can you hear me?"_

Huh? What was that? Rachel thought in confusion of the voice in her head.

__

"It was me. . ." Chang opened his eyes and looked at her, catching her eye. She stared at him and thought with a smirk, _"Oh, I thought it was just a new voice in my head."_

"That's nice. . .I have a question for you." Chang closed his eyes again. Rachel did as well and thought back, _"What's on your mind?"_

"Haha. . .you do know I lack a sense of humor, don't you?"

"I know, I just 'thought' it'd be funny. . ."

"I'm sure. Look, I don't see why you're holding back so much on your powers. . ."

"Of course you don't, you have your eyes closed, silly!" She grinned.

__

"Would you be serious for just a minute!"

"Okay, fine, if I have to. I don't know what you mean by holding back, it's not my fault I keep passing out."

"I think it is. . ."

"Pardon?"

"I doubt it's on purpose but more of a subconscious reaction. You're cautious, too much for your own good sometimes. You've been having dreams about killing people because of your powers and you're scared of it happening again. . .am I right?"

"Happening. . .again?"

"Did you not lose control back at the base Ms. Relena was held captive in? Accidentally hurting Trowa in the meantime? Heero told me about what had happened and by Trowa's expressions I could tell it wasn't good. . .You're afraid of something like that happening again, or even something like Quatre's responses to your healings."

"Chang, please. . ." Rachel bowed her head shamefully.

__

"I'm not holding it against you but you can't hold it against yourself, it will do no one any good! Rachel. . .you have the power, use it!"

"NO!" Rachel shouted, covering her ears and wincing as she forced Chang's thoughts out of her mind. Everyone looked up suddenly, disturbed by her outburst and confused a bit. Duo blinked at Rachel's actions and said, "Rachel, are you okay!" She looked up suddenly and looked rather sheepishly at them all, slowly lowering her hands as she said, "Y. . .yes. . .I'm fine. . .I need some fresh air, excuse me." She quickly stood and ran off out of the cavern. Heero blinked in confusion and turned to Duo, saying, "Duo, why are you just sitting there. . ."

"Oh, sorry. . ." Duo mumbled, jumping to his feet after snapping out of his trance, running after Rachel. As he left the cavern, he jogged to a stop and looked around, listening for footsteps. The silence swallowed him and echoed back nothing but his own breaths as he thought, _Either she stopped running and walked wherever she was going or she teleported. Since I don't know how to do that, I'm just gonna do it my way. _He put out his hands and closed his eyes, concentrating hard to form a small ball of fire. It danced around cheerfully as Duo slowly opened his eyes to look at it. With a smile, Duo said, "alright, little guy, you guided me before, show me to my girl!" It bounced up out of his hands and danced back and forth for a second before taking off into the darkness, into the bowels of the cave. He ran after it and a few minutes later slowed to a slow walk as he saw the fireball stop and light up a figure sitting in the darkness ahead. Stopping, he stood by and then sat next to his girlfriend, saying, "Hey, what's this place?" Raising her hand, Rachel played with the fireball, rolling it around playfully through her fingers as it danced along.

"Quatre showed it to me earlier, it's a beautiful place, perfect for a nice quiet time alone for thought. . ." She responded quietly, letting the fire roll off her palm and float off into the cavern. It's light shimmered off the crystalline walls and floor as Duo and Rachel watched on in silence. Finally, Duo said softly with a sad face, "Rachel, are you okay? I'm serious, tell me." She didn't look at him as a tear rolled down her cheek. Glancing her way, he saw the sparkle off her skin and slowly put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her to himself and placing his other arm around her. He held her close as she rested her hand on his side, leaning her head close to his heart and closing her eyes.

"Duo. . .I feel like I'm falling apart. . ." She gasped softly, clenching his jacket in her hand slowly.

"From what? All the transformations? Maybe you just need a break. . ."

"You know I can't. . .and. . .that's not exactly what I meant. . ." Duo looked down at her and said, "Then what did you mean?"

"From everything! My powers, every time I lose it, when they make other people lose it, the dreams I have every night I'm here. . .my rocky relationship with you. . ."

"It's not rocky. . .just. . .healthy. . ."

"How can you call this healthy?" She said, starting to go off on a tangent.

"For one thing, you need to stop trying to make everything out to be your fault, there are other people here responsible for their own actions! Good grief, you're like a female version of Quatre!"

"Thanks. . ." Rachel grumbled.

"We all have our faults. Quatre's too sensitive about things and wary of every step he takes, Heero has no clue how to react as a normal human being and keeps hiding things from Relena and is also rather insensitive to other people's feelings, Trowa holds everything in till he slips up one time and goes crazy or just runs away, Chang has a huge ego that needs some major popping and underestimates others' strength to the point he thinks it's his job to do everything, Milliardo can't tell the difference between love inside or outside a battlefield and quite often is a hypocrite with what he says-"

"Okay, I get the point!"

"Wait. . .I haven't gotten to myself yet. . ." Duo said quietly. He closed his eyes and said solemnly, "I. . .I'm too scared to really be myself around people. You see how I act, using humor as a shield, that's all it really is. . ."

"Inside you're really a scared and shivering child lost in a dark alley, so scarred and traumatized by your past that it still haunts you with threats of repetition. You worry way too much about losing things to the point you give up too easily when you should be trying to hold on to them and not running away. I know your motto is "I may run and hide but I never tell a lie" but in reality it is a lie in itself. You lie by pretending you're fine, that nothing bothers you when you're dying inside. You always hold onto the memories of your loved ones dying because you think it was your fault when it really wasn't. But now. . .now you just give up and figure that it's going to happen anyway so why put out the effort to rescue someone? Well I'm telling you this now, I don't give a flying fart in space, you better not flake out on me because I love you, Duo Maxwell, and I'm not going to let you belittle yourself anymore and lose hope in me OR yourself!" Duo blinked and said slowly, "A. . .flying fart in. . .space?"

"So my illustrations aren't very sophisticated, if you really wanted a classy broad you would have gone shopping a little farther than the battle field. . ." Duo laughed, shaking his head and saying cheerfully, "I want a girlfriend, not a dictionary! You're already smarter than me, why would I want some reform school dog!"

"I think you're totally forgetting my main point. . ." Rachel said exhaustedly.

"No. . .just running from it. . ." Duo said with a grin. She sighed and Duo rolled his eyes, hugging her and saying, "I'm kidding. . .I know what you're trying to say. But are you forgetting my point?"

"No. . .I guess it's kinda a draw, huh. . ." Rachel mumbled.

"I guess so. . .what'dya say we both stop being so faulty and put a little more effort and thought into what we do?"

"Sounds good to me. . .what'dya say you put some effort into kissing me. . ." Rachel asked, looking up into his eyes. He smiled and said, "I don't know. . .I might get scared and run away. . ."

"Oh haha. . ." Rachel frowned. Duo softly caressed her cheek as he said, "Don't frown. . .it ruins your pretty face. . ." She blushed and looked down, burying her face in his jacket and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and said, "I love holding you. . .you're safe in my arms where I can protect you. . ."

"You can't hug me forever, you know. . ." She muttered.

"I can. . .for just this minute. . .at least. . ." Duo said slowly, feeling the approaching battle pushing at his back, the pressure and weight of the fight on him strongly. Rachel sniffed and sighed, thinking, _If I can't handle this. . .then how the heck am I supposed to fight a world wide, even space wide battle!_

"You've got us, that's how. . ." Duo said you her in her mind. She looked up at him in surprise for a second before softening her expression and saying, "You heard me. . ."

"I've been listening to you ever since I could. . .kinda my way of seeing how you feel so I don't freak out so much anymore. You don't. . .mind, do you? I don't want to make you feel. . .exposed or whatever. . ."

"No. . .I guess it is a little disconcerting but what do I have to hide, right?" Duo looked away and said quietly, "Yeah. . .right. . ." She downcast her eyes and said as she slowly sat up, "It's time, Duo. . .we have to go." Holding on reluctantly, Duo said with sadness in his eyes, "Go where? And why now?"

"To the battle. . .and because we have to."

"Why. . ." Duo leaned his head against her chest, pulling her close as he closed his eyes. She rested her hands on his head and softly said, "You know why. . .Duo. . ." He slowly looked up into her eyes with a deep, blank expression as his fingers curled around her shirt, clutching it tightly. She looked a little uncomfortable as he said, "Rachel. . .this could be. . .the end. . ."

"No, don't say that, it's not true."

"What if it is. . .we could be. . .losing our last. . .chance. . ."

"For what?" He moved his right hand up her back slowly in a caressing motion as he continued to stare at her. She swallowed and blinked nervously, leaning back slightly as she said, "Duo, please let go, you're making me uncomfortable. . ."

"Why should you be uncomfortable. . ." Duo asked in all seriousness.

"Because, you have ideas to do things I just cannot do, and. . .I really don't like to be touched like that. . ." Rachel said, reaching back to remove his hands from her back. He leaned back, looking away sadly in shame as he said, "Oh. . .I'm. . .sorry. . ."

"I'm not sure if I could ever stand to be touched that way ever again, it just. . .brings back too many memories. . ." She clutched her hands to her heart, looking away as her throat choked up. Duo looked back at her and smiled, saying, "Be strong. . .and I will protect and love you however you wish to be treated. . ."

"And what if I'm not strong?" She looked back at him.

"All the more reason to protect you. . ." Duo said, gently touching her cheek. She smiled and nodded, leaning slowly into him as he hugged her tenderly.


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. This chapter has a lot of feelings and stuff in it and just as a note Trowa and Quatre aren't falling in love, they're just growing close. . .like Frodo and Sam in Lord of the Rings. They aren't gay, and neither are Trowa and Quatre so don't get any wrong ideas. War does this to people. . .you would know if you were in one, but you aren't are you? Nooo. . .so don't pick!

Chapter 45

"Trowa, the plane's going off course again. . ." Quatre said quietly, reaching over to poke the dazed boy driving. Trowa jerked the plane back to its original vector and took a deep breath, staring wide-eyed at the sky leveling out in front of them. He blew out a sigh and slowly blinked his eyes, his eyebrows raised. With a frown, Quatre asked, "Trowa, why are you acting so strange? Does this have anything to do with that bandage on your arm?" Looking over suddenly, he looked back at his arm and ripped the bandage off, saying, "No."

"Why such a hostile no?" Quatre queried, not believing him for a second.

"Because, now go back to sleep." Trowa said, still looking dizzy. Quatre shook his head and reached for the co pilot button, pushing it quickly and taking the steering wheel in front of him. Trowa stared wide-eyed at him, saying loudly, "Quatre, what are you-"

"You're losing it, Trowa, I can see your eyes fuzzing in and out of focus and it's affecting your piloting! I can't let you take both our lives in your hands when you couldn't even see those clearly." Quatre said sternly, keeping his eyes fixed on the horizon.

"Quatre. . ." Trowa said with a slight loathing tone in it.

"Tell me why you're acting this way and maybe I'll let you steer again."

"Fine, I gave blood at the hospital as a trade for your medicine. They had a low supply and it's the best I could do. . .would you give me the steering back?" Trowa's voice let on to his exhaustion for a minute.

"Trowa. . ." Quatre said in his saddened tone of voice, "You should know better than to fly after giving blood, it's a risk to your life! You're not suppose to operate any heavy machinery or work too hard for at least 3 hours after giving blood, and you know that!"

"You're sick, what makes you think you're any more qualified than me to pilot?"

"At least I'm not passing out every two minutes." Quatre narrowed his eyes.

"How would you-"

"I've been watching you for the past half hour. . ."

"I thought you were asleep."

"Was I. . ." Quatre grinned mischievously. Trowa frowned and leaned back against the back of his seat, looking tired as he said, "Quatre. . .why are you doing this?"

"Because. . .I care about you." Quatre said quietly, looking over at him. Trowa's expression softened as he whispered, "Quatre. . ."

"Rachel, there you are." Heero said as Rachel and Duo reentered the cave to join the group again.

"Yes, sorry about my rude interruption. Has everyone gotten ready for our final battle?" Rachel said, completely composed and recovered from earlier. Chang stood far off, looking up at the group like a punished child as they talked about things. Duo blinked and looked over at him in curiosity as he said, "Will we be taking our Gundams or leaving them behind?"

"Why wouldn't we take them?" Chang asked, suddenly sucked into the conversation by his love for his gundam.

"We're going to be the guardian angels of the world, we don't need machines to fight our battles for us anymore." Rachel said boldly, finding the courage to rally everyone together.

"But they have Mobile suits, and Dolls! How can you possibly fight them without Gundams!" Chris asked, shocked by her spirit.

"Simple, we have something they don't have."

"What's that?" Noin asked.

"Faith. Faith in whatever we do, faith in our friends, faith. . .that the One ruler will guide us to victory. . .we can't lose, not when we have God on our side."

"And no one's more powerful than Him! What are we waiting for, let's go save the world!" Duo cheered happily. The others joined in on the cheerful shouting as their wings formed out of pure excitement. Otto and Chris were a little lost in the celebration.

"Mr. Otto, sir. . .where does that leave us?" Chris said quietly to his superior.

"I guess we rally troops of our own and join the fight! Might as well give them some backup, they'll need it. . ." Otto said.

"But. . .we couldn't repair my suit. . .and I'm not a very good pilot anyway, I never got any training for that!" Chris said.

"There's a transport ship outside, if it's still in tact, I don't know after the battle. You can take it and head to. . .wherever you need to go." Milliardo said as he walked up to them.

"Lieutenant Zechs, sir, where should we go?" Otto asked.

"Head to the Sanc Kingdom. . .you should find some friends and allies hiding out there. Do what you can and be careful."

"Yes, sir! And thank you. . .for giving us a second chance." Otto said, standing at attention and saluting. Chris quickly followed suit and then ran after Otto as he took off to search for the remaining cargo plane outside. Milliardo rejoined the group just as Heero was saying, "Alright, we have a lot of ground to cover in order for this plan to work. Since we have seven people present we should split up and take different countries to sweep through. Chang, you take China and the oriental regions, I'll take Japan. Zechs, you take Eastern Europe. Rachel, you take North America, Duo can cover South America. Noin, you head over to Africa. I'm assigning Quatre to Asia and Trowa can stay here and handle Germany and any surrounding countries Zechs doesn't get to. Relena, you search all the islands including Australia."

"Right!" Everyone said in unison.

"And regroup with me when your task is finished and I'll see who needs help. Let's go!" Rachel announced, flapping her wings for takeoff. The group flew out of the cave in formation and slowly went their separate ways to begin their personal missions.

__

Just 10 miles from camp, hopefully all is well. . . Quatre thought as he checked the range left to their destination point. He looked over at Trowa, smiling at the serene look on his face as he rested and regained his strength.

__

He's changed so much. . .if it weren't for his long auburn hair and shocking green eyes I might not even recognize him! So much has changed in a week. . .I wonder, will my father even know me anymore? Can I go back to my home. . .my past life seems like a long forgotten dream. . .and. . .how will I even begin to explain myself? Everything I used to know is lost to me now. . .all because of my powers. . .where will I go if this war ends? I couldn't go home, no one would believe I am who I say I am! What will I do? What can I do. . .

"Quatre, what's the matter?" Startled, Quatre blinked and noticed Trowa was staring back at him.

__

How long has he been staring at me? Trowa thought as he sat up in his seat, keeping his sleepy eyes locked on Quatre's face.

"Nothing. . .I just got lost in thought. . ." Quatre responded, looking back out at the sky.

"About. . .what?" Trowa asked, unbuttoning his coat slowly.

"Many things. . .all theses changes. . .I'm worried that when this war is over, there won't be anything to come back to." Quatre said, bowing his head sadly as he gazed at the steering wheel.

"You have everything to return to, Quatre. A home, family, friends. . .a name to call your own. You have a life that's all yours. . .be grateful."

"What do you mean?" Quatre looked at him blankly. Blinking in realization that he had revealed something secret, Trowa turned away, gently pulling the belt around his coat loose as he looked on the world in sadness.

"Quatre, I. . .I am. . .not who you think I am. . ." Trowa muttered.

"I don't understand. . .what are you trying to say?" Quatre said, sounding uneasy. Trowa looked up at him with a dead, dull expression of regret.

"My name. . .is not Trowa Barton." Trowa said quietly.

"But. . ." Quatre stared at him, a betrayed feeling creeping into his stomach as he gripped the wheel tightly.

"Trowa Barton died near to a year ago, I am nothing but a nameless soldier. . .lost and. . .alone. . ."

"No, you have a home. . .friends. . .even family. . .you are not alone, my friend!"

"Family? But, I have none. . ."

"Your family is all around you, they are the people that love and care for you. . .as long as we have breath to keep us alive, we are brothers!"

"Quatre. . ." Trowa blinked in wonder.

"And besides, if what you say is true, then the real Trowa will have no use for his name now, so why not give it a home? Keep it; so many know you by that name so what does it matter? You aren't made human by your name, but by the life that you live. . .that you have. . .you can have a million names but it won't change who you really are: A clown, a soldier, a friend to us all. . .so please, don't give up because of a simple thing such as a name. . .you're so much more than that to me. . ." Quatre said, his greenish-blue eyes sparkling with tears fighting to fall free. He sniffed and wiped his sleeve over his eyes, taking the tears away so he could see the world more clearly. Pausing for a moment, Trowa stared at Quatre in surprise and shock, not used to such devotion from another person. Finally, he removed his jacket and folded it over his left arm, looking at his shirt's right sleeve.

"I can barely see it now. . .after my shirt burned so much. . ." Trowa said in an almost musing tone.

"See what?"

"One day. . .I was rehearsing a show with Catherine and she was a little nervous about doing new tricks. I tried to assure her she'd do fine but on accident, she threw a knife too close to me and caught my arm. She was so scared and afraid. . .she felt responsible for it even though I allowed her to do it. It really didn't hurt that much but she insisted I go to a hospital. After the show that night, I went back to my room to find my shirt laying over a chair, fully mended. . ."

"She really cares about you. . .doesn't she?" Quatre smiled.

"I guess so. . .you know. . .I never really noticed how much she cared. Why do you suppose she's so protective and loving?"

"Maybe she likes you. . ." Quatre grinned. With a curious blink, Trowa responded, "But. . .it's not really like that. . ."

"I don't know, but she does care about you, so you do have someone to return to after the war."

"Yeah. . .I suppose so. . ." Trowa said, letting a smile crease his lips. Just then, Heero appeared in the cockpit of the plane, startling both the passengers to death.

"HEERO!" Quatre gasped, clutching his heart.

"Trowa, Quatre, we've made plans." Heero said simply in his monotone, uncaring voice.

"What's going on?" Trowa asked.

"We're splitting up to fight OZ all over the world, and you two have been assigned to your own missions. Quatre, you're assigned to Asia, go there and take out all signs of OZ. Trowa, you stay here and work on Germany since there's been so many attacks in the area due to our presence and work around the Eastern European area when you're done here. Both of you report to Rachel when your tasks are done for further orders." Heero said.

"But. . .Heero. . ." Trowa started to stand.

"What?" Heero looked at him. Hesitating, Trowa sat back down, saying quietly, "Nevermind."

"I have my own work to do, good luck." Heero said and disappeared. Trowa turned to Quatre and said, "But. . .you're sick, you can't go out by yourself with the flu! Quatre-"

"It's alright, I'll be fine, don't worry. . .I'm sure everything will turn out just fine. I'd better go, everyone else has probably gotten started, I'll see you later. And. . .be careful, Trowa." Quatre said, trying to smile.

"You be especially careful, and don't forget to take your medicine. . ."

"Oh. . .right, thanks." Quatre chuckled, picking up his supply of pills. As he stood, he looked down at his outfit and said, "Oh my, I completely forgot about this! How can I fight in these clothes, I can barely move! And I think I got a wedgie. . ."

"Here. . ." Trowa raised his hand and new clothes appeared on Quatre's body, much freer than his original garments. Quatre looked down in surprise and said, "Wow. . .thank you! These look great, and very comfortable. . ." He ran his hand over the light blue, long sleeved shirt now on him, feeling the soft texture of the material as he looked down at his new white pants, similar to his old pair but larger.

"I thought you'd look more grown up in something other than pink. . ." Trowa grinned. With a chuckle, Quatre said, "Is there something wrong with what I used to wear?"

"No. . .but your new build doesn't suit pink. Blue is much better. . .plus the light tones will keep you cool out in the hot Asian sun."

"Yes. . ." Quatre said quietly. He smiled at Trowa and said, "Good luck to you. . ."

"You too. . .Quatre. . ." Trowa said in equal silence. Finally, Quatre closed his eyes and vanished, going off to start his journey.

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Please come back alive. . .Trowa thought as he took over the plane controls and headed for camp. And so, their journeys begin. . .


	46. Chapter 46

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, but I do own their wings. Heh, get it? Yeah, I thought that was lame too. This chapter's mainly a lot of scene setting, giving you an idea of where the pilots and their friends are at, and what kind of predicaments they're in.

Chapter 46

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Where to start. . .well, perhaps home would be the best place. . .if it's even close to my home. Rachel thought as she floated over North America and what she knew as the United States of America. But it was quite different. In this world it wasn't led by the president she knew, or even a president at all. During the wars, the democratic republic fell and gave way to a dictatorship. Though it was a fair rule, it wasn't the people's rule and that gave Rachel an uneasy feeling.

"I guess. . .no one's free anymore. . ." Rachel said in a whisper, looking over the expanse of land in pity. Closing her eyes, she searched Florida for any signs of OZ.

"There's some in Orange County. . .well, better get started! There's a lot of ground to cover here. . ." Rachel said, taking a deep breath, as deep as she could at her present altitude, and teleporting to her first battle.

"Let's see. . .wow, there's a lot of countries in South America!" Duo said, scratching his head as he stared out at the lush landscape. With a smile, he said, "It is beautiful, though. . .I'd hate to see some of it ruined by OZ." With a sigh, he turned and said, "Might as well start from the top and work my way down! Just remember, Duo: Don't drink the water!" He disappeared and reappeared in Mexico.

As she floated over the mid Atlantic Ocean, Relena said, "Great. . .I have NO idea where to start! How did I get stuck with random duty? Well, maybe if I use my powers to search for them it won't take as long. . ." She concentrated hard on anything OZ related and couldn't find any on remote islands. There were signs on Australia and she took a deep breath.

"Alright, one fight alone can't be that bad. . .I'll be okay. I'll just be careful not to hurt any of them. . ." She said, reluctant to start any fights. As she flew lower to the water's surface, she spotted a pod of whales breaching the surface, fountains of mist spurting from their blowholes as they took breaths before diving down again. She giggled at a playful baby leaping and nuzzling its mother to play, rolling around in the waves the adult whales were making.

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At least I get the scenic job. . .Relena thought, watching the whales disappear below the surface before teleporting to her destination: Down Under.

"I must work quickly, there's much to do and doing it without Nataku will be quite a challenge. There's a fleet of mobile suits invading Beijing right now, might as well start there." Chang figured as he drifted over the sky, his wings barely flapping as wind currents carried him. He tilted his wings to the south and headed to his first stop, nothing but battle on his mind.

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It's been a little while. . .this place is still as dismal and dead as a graveyard. But being what it is it's only suiting to feel this way. Milliardo thought as he looked around the eerie grounds of the Sanc Kingdom. He gazed at the crumbling embassy in lost thoughts of memories painful to recall. Looking down at the ground, he said quietly, "I can almost hear my dead past calling me. . ." A breeze swept around him, tossing his blonde hair around his face and shoulders. With the soft scent of ocean mist, the wind carried with it the giggle of a young child. Milliardo looked up quickly and whipped his head around, searching for the source of the faint voice. Off in the distance, a child playfully dashed across the field toward the building, stopping in one of the many doorways and staring at Milliardo. He waved and giggled again, disappearing into the building.

"Hey, come back!" Milliardo shouted, running after the little child.

"There aren't many troops here, I'll finish and check in on Relena." Heero said to himself, flying toward Hiroshima to start. As he flew over fields and forests, he saw a group stationed near a small town, crouched in the cover of the close by forest. Heero swooped in and landed quietly on a tree branch, scanning over the huddle of mobile suits to create a plan of attack in his head. As he prepared to launch himself off the branch, showers of arrows rained on him, knocking him out of the tree as they buried themselves in his left leg and side. Tumbling to the ground, he attempted to fly but broke on too many branches, giving way finally to the ground. As he staggered to his feet painfully, something appeared out of nowhere and slammed into his head several times, bringing the world to darkness.

Trowa landed the plane in the forest near their cave, quickly leaving it and taking flight.

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I need to take it easy, I'm still a little weak. Why am I feeling so hot. . .it couldn't be more than 79 degrees Fahrenheit. . .Trowa thought, pulling at his collar.

"At least there's a breeze. . .that leather jacket was killing me!" He said quietly, wiping the sweat from his brow. As he soared higher and higher to get a good view of the land, he got lightheaded and began to fumble in his flight.

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Woah, what the. . .that was weird. I wish I could set these things on autopilot. . .what's wrong with me? Oh no. . .did. . .Quatre make me sick? He grit his teeth nervously as his vision began to blur again.

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It wasn't the donation that made me dizzy. . .it's the flu. I can't do this. . .not like this. . .He shook his head and flew off toward the nearest invaded city.

"There's a great concentration of mobile suits in Eritrea, what are they doing?" Noin wondered as she flew toward the country. As she neared the location, her eyes grew wide at the sight.

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A factory in the middle of a salt flat? What are they up to? Noin wondered as she flew higher to avoid being seen. As she seeked a point of entry to get an inside view of what was going on, she was spotted by two mobile suits, locking onto her position.

"Oh great. . .okay, let's see what these babies can do." Noin said, veering away from the approaching Taurus suits. They began to fire their beam rifles at her, missing many times but coming close more than she would have liked. With a quick nosedive, Noin dodged the suits and bobbed up behind them. Growling in annoyance, she brought her hands up in front of her, fire forming between her palms. With a scream, she forced her hands forward and let a spiral of flames explode through one of the suits, sending it to the ground. The second Taurus buzzed by her, clipping her wing and throwing her off course.

"AAH!" Noin screamed as she barreled rapidly toward the ground.

"This place looks so dreary, how can people live with themselves after creating such destruction?" Quatre said as he flew through an attacked village. The burning buildings and rubble left behind made Quatre's heart ache.

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If only I could have come sooner. . .wait. . .Quatre looked up suddenly, hearing commotion nearby. A female voice echoed through the wreckage, something in a language he couldn't understand. Like a moth to a flame, Quatre quickly sought out the source of the plea. In the middle of what looked like a town square, a mobile suit was hunting down a group of woman in long, concealing veils running for their lives. One stumbled and fell to the ground in front of the Mobile suit.

"Oh no, look out!" Quatre yelled, speeding toward the mobile suit. He rammed into the side of it, setting it off balance as it stumbled to the side. It swatted at Quatre like he was a fly, catching him briefly in the side and sending him flying into a building.

"GAH!" Quatre exclaimed in pain, sliding to the ground. He winced and touched his side in agony as he looked up to see the fallen woman screaming in terror, crawling desperately away from the Leo. Growling under his breath, Quatre kicked off and flew toward the mobile suit, the whole way building up sand and wind around him. He began to fly in circles around the Leo, generating a whirlwind that quickly formed into a tornado, lifting the suit off the ground and carrying it up into the sky. As it spiraled higher and higher, the woman watched on in wonder and fear, shielding her eyes from the dust and sand getting flung everywhere. The tornado soon moved off away from the civilians and dissipated out by the buildings, dumping the Leo in a heap among rubble. Dizzy from the spinning, Quatre staggered back toward the Town Square to make sure the woman was alright.

"Fever. . .hot. . .where. . .am I. . ." Quatre muttered, losing strength and falling to the ground, tumbling through the dust for a few feet before coming to a stop.

"Leave them alone, you monsters!" Rachel screamed, lightning flying from her hand and consuming two Leos that had been chasing some children. Their circuits fried, they fell limply to the ground, twitching now and then from aftershocks. She swooped down and picked up the little children, carrying them toward a group of people hiding out in an abandoned building. She carefully set them down and said, "Stay out of sight, I'm going to take care of any other OZ in the area."

"Tank you, ange'lady!" One of the little girls said. Rachel smiled and nodded to her, quickly turning to fly away. As she left the shelter, a Leo flew up from nowhere and slammed into her. She screamed in pain and pushed off, tumbling back and crashing into a roof, sending tiles flying every which way. She weakly pushed up with her hands, her arms shaking as she looked up to see the Leo hovering in front of her, its 105 mm rifle pointed at her. Her eyes widened and turned white as she began to glow, ghostly white flames arcing around her body as she stared down the mobile suit. It opened fire on her and the flames expanded out in a circular form, reflecting the bullets away from her as a shield. She rose on a gust of wind, her hair flying around her wildly in the wind within her shield. She put out her hands and her sword grew slowly from them, gleaming in the noon sunlight. She brought it up and pointed it at the Leo, lunging forward and bringing the sword back. With a hard swing, she sliced the suit's head off, sending it flying into the air. Without it, the Leo was blind and staggered off course, crashing into a nearby building and causing the walls to collapse. The rubble came down around the Leo, burying it in about 3 feet of rock and debris. As the dust settled, Rachel scanned the horizon for any more attackers that might try to sneak up on her. The area was secure, giving her the opportunity to heave a sigh of relief and catch her breath as she put the sword into its sheath, which had appeared on her back when the sword was created. She landed on the ground, stumbling a little as she leaned against a builder for support. In the quiet of moment, the little girl came tottering up to Rachel, grabbing her capris at the bottom and looking up with her big blue eyes. Rachel smiled down to her and slowly knelt down, meeting her at eye level.

"Are you awigh?" The little girl asked, blinking innocently. Rachel gently ran her hand down the girl's head, resting her palm on her chubby cheek with a soft smile.

"Yes, I'm just fine. Are you okay?" Rachel responded in a tender tone.

"Uh huh! gasp You hur'!" The girl pointed desperately at a cut on Rachel's arm and bounced up and down, looking close to tears. Rachel glanced at it and said, "Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt." The little girl grabbed her hand and tugged at it, backing up as she said, "Come, I help you!"

"Oh no, I couldn't!" The girl stared at her with puppy dog eyes. Rachel softened her expression with a smile and reached for the girl, lifting her up and sitting her on her hip. She walked toward the building the others were hiding in and was quickly greeted by the child's mother.

"Heather! I told you to stay with your big brother!" The mother said, her voice sounding shaky as she reached out to her. The girl stretched out her arms to her mother as the woman took her from Rachel, hugging her close and she slowly rocked back and force, holding the girl's head against her chest.

"Mama. . ." The girl muttered softly, playing instinctively with the woman's brown curls. The mother looked up at Rachel and said in a grateful tone, "Oh thank you, you truly are a guardian angel!"

"Just be careful, I don't know if I've gotten every mobile suit in the area. I must be going now. . ." Rachel said, turning to leave.

"Oh, but you're hurt! Please, let us help you, it's the least we can do!"

"Thank you but I can't stop, others need my help. . ." Rachel said over her shoulder. The mother nodded and said, "I understand. . .if you ever need help you can count on having a friend to back you up!" Rachel smiled and nodded back, letting her wings flap out and take her off into the air.

"Oh yeah! Well, I got somethin' for you too!" Duo yelled at a group of Taurus mobile suits on his tail, firing at him with their beam rifles. He closed his eyes and folded his wings down, diving headlong toward the ground. Spinning rapidly, he gained speed and finally flashed open his eyes, revealing their blackened state. He whipped out his wings, taking a sharp turn back toward the sky and rocketing past the mobile suits, heading toward a dark cloud forming in the sky. Following in hot pursuit, the Taurus headed straight into the darkness with him. Duo darted through the ash puffs and haze, hiding from sight and dodging their sensors. The storm cloud began to grow, lightning building up within the cloud's walls and jumping from rolling hill to hill of cloud. The Taurus suits danced around, seeing the brewing threat growing too close to them, finally unleashing a bolt on one of the suits and frying it. The others watched on in terror as it crumbled to the ground in a smoldering pile of burnt and mangled Titanium. They split up and searched through the cloud for Duo, trying to get rid of him so they could get out of there before it was too late. Little did they know that their time for escape was gone long ago.

I can't see a single thing in here, it's too dark! One of the pilots said to another, leaning forward to see into the black mist. As he turned around to look behind himself, a lightning bolt nearly smashed into him, sending him flying away in fear. As he looked back at his narrow escape from death, he didn't see the shadowed form floating up in front of him. With a smirk, Duo ignited his scythe, unleashing the extreme green glow that eerily reflected off the Taurus' armor. The pilot barely turned in time to see the blur of light hack off his head.

Ben, can you hear me, over? OVER! Is anyone still out there? the last Taurus suit desperately called to the nonexistent pilots in vain. Suddenly, a dark form floated up next to the suit, waiting for it to turn to face him. The pilot slowly turned to stare at Duo with fright in his eyes, sensing his nearing doom. Duo ignited the scythe and bowed his head slowly, glaring at the Taurus with an evil glint in his eyes.

"I'm out here. . .but that doesn't help you any." Duo said, his voice echoing terribly into the pilot's cockpit, causing him to scream.

"It's the voice of Death!" He screamed, about to the point of peeing in his pants. He tried to run, in vain, heading for the closest wall and exit out of the cloud. An explosion of lightning crossed in front of his path and blocked his escape, sending him running back the other way. Another crossing blocked his path and another, until finally he was trapped in a cage of light and death. Looking around wildly, he saw his predicament and realized. . .there was no way out. Suddenly, it grew silent around him, the lightning disappearing without warning.

"Is. . .is it over?" The pilot muttered to himself, looking around with wild eyes.

"It's never over." Duo said, appeared out of nowhere and decapitating the mobile suit. As it fell from sight, Duo stared after it, saying, "Haven't you ever heard of the calm before the storm?"


	47. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. Hopefully I won't confuse people with the different languages and slang used in this chapter and future chapters, but I try to explain what it means within the writing, hopefully you can keep up! I used for my Australian slang, just to give them credit. . .I hope that's okay. .

Chapter 47

"Stop, I don't wanna hurt you! AH!" Relena screamed as ammunition rained down on her, her wings flapping desperately as she tried to think of a way to stop them without hurting them. She finally blew up a dust storm to hinder their vision, taking the chance to swoop in on them and blast of their heads with sparks of lightning. They fell one by one until there was only one left. Relena tried to fight it off enough to take it down but it had caught onto her tactics, rocketing away when she tried to move in for the kill. It took a shot at her and clipped her wing, bringing her down to the ground. With a clumsy landing, she wobbled to her feet, holding her left shoulder in pain as her wing bled.

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Great. . .now what! Relena thought, lacking the advantage of flight now. She backed away from the Leo, trying to find some footing so she could stand her ground. Before she knew it, the Leo had cornered her in a small stand of rocks. She felt too weak to teleport and was contemplating taking the chance if it meant life or death when out of nowhere, a large object flew at the Leo and knocked it in the head. Distracted for a moment, it looked in the direction the attack originated from and aimed its gun that way.

"No!" Relena shouted, raising her hand and firing a fireball at its head, catching it on fire. It staggered backwards, visuals cut out by the fire, and finally tripped over a rock and fell to the desert sand, sending a puff of dust and sand flying up around it. Relena heaved a sigh of relief and started to walk out of her corner, looking exhausted from the battle.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this kind of stuff. . ." Relena said to herself.

"What's a Sheila like yourself doing bushwalking at this time of day?" Relena turned to see a man staring at her, looking to be in his mid Twenties. He had a five o'clock shadow and blonde hair that came down slightly in his eyes, quite scruffy looking in general but still good looking. A hat commonly seen on Australians hid his eyes in a shadow but didn't hide his broad smile. Relena blinked and said, "Excuse me?" The man had been looking her over, finally noticing her wings and whistling.

"Well now, aren't you a beaut of a bunyip! Or is the Arvo sun just makin' a berk outa me?"

"What?" Relena was confused by his Australian slang, feeling dizzy from overheating and exhaustion. She began to sway and he walked up to her, taking her by the shoulders as she began to collapse.

"You must be bushed, after being out here for so long! Come on, you can crash at my place! It's just a few meters from here, you'll make it!" He said, slinging her arm over his shoulder and helping her back to his home. As they walked up to the front port, a dog greeted them and sniffed Relena.

"Down, ya nong dingo! Don't worry, he's about ready to kark it any day now, he's no bother. . ." The man shouted at the dog and reassured Relena that he wasn't a threat. He kicked open the mesh door and walked in with Relena, heading over to a couch and sitting her down.

"Sorry it's such a brothel, I haven't been around to clean it lately! Would you care for a lolly water?" He said as he walked toward another room. She looked at him in confusion, blinking and still in pain. He laughed and said, "You have no clue what I'm sayin', do ya?" She shook her head and said, "I'm afraid I don't know the native slang here, I'm not from around here."

"I could have guessed on my own! Lolly water is carbonated drink. . ." He said with a smile.

"Soda. . .you mean. . ." Relena eased back and laid down on her side.

"Yeah, that's it. Would you like one?" He said over his shoulder, taking off his hat and setting it down on a desk by the doorway as he walked into the other room.

"Thank you, you're very generous. . ." She said quietly, hoping he heard her.

"Ah, it's the least I could do! You were out there in that barney kicking their dates across the bush! All I did was throw my boomerang at them! Those shonky OZ people have been messin' in these parts for a while, can't tell who's fair dinkum or not anymore. All I have is coke, do you want a water instead?" He walked back into the room carrying two cans of soda and stopped in the doorway, finding Relena asleep on the couch. He noticed her bleeding wing and set down the drinks, hurrying into his bathroom.

"Crud, when did that get there! Where's my med kit. . ." The man grumbled as he rummaged through his sink supplies.

The dragon tore through suit after suit, bringing down the army quickly and without mercy as its owner watched on.

"With these powers I'm unstoppable. . ." Chang mused as his sea serpent knocked down another mobile suit. It's twisting, aquatic body shimmered in the sun, using its reflective surface to blind the enemy before going in for the kill. As the creature fought on, Chang decided to take some action of his own, diving down upon a wandering Leo and slicing its head off with his katana. He jumped off as it fell and landed on a pile of rubble created by the battle, crouching like a tiger lying in wait for its next victim. As he waited, a scream penetrated the air, catching Chang's attention. It wasn't so much a scream of terror as a shout heard in a karate fight and this intrigued Chang into investigating. He dashed over and across buildings to the origin of the scream and found a band of Taurus suits attacking a wrecked building. But it turned out that they were the ones being attacked as a small figure leapt out and attacked one of them, tearing into its armor and ripping out essential circuitry. The figure vanished from sight inside the building just as one of the Taurus took aim and blasted the foundations, causing the structure to lose its stability. Chang's eyes widened and he forced out his hand, holding the building up to prevent its falling and injuring whoever was inside.

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Such a brave soul shouldn't be destroyed this way. . .Chang thought to himself, continuing to hold the building as he waited for the fighter to reappear. Soon enough, a missile flew from the building and smashed into one of the suits, blowing it up and knocking it into another suit, taking both of them down. Only three remained and not for long as another missile locked onto a Taurus and took it out. Like a lightning bolt, the figure jumped out and landed on one of the suits, crouching on its head as its partner turned and aimed. The other suit fired and shot off the Taurus' head as the mysterious figure leapt off to avoid being hit and caught the edge of the last Taurus' armor, climbing up to the cockpit door and setting an explosive in the seam. Leaping off, the figure reentered the building as the hatch blew off, revealing the pilot as he abandoned the suit.

"Amazing. . ." Chang said quietly. He finally left his perch and soared down to the building, trying to find who had done so much damage. He landed on the level the fighter had started on and ran inside, searching for the figure. As he descended the dilapidated stairway and stopped on the second level, spotting a figure running toward him. He blinked and strained to see who it was but it was dark in the building. Gaining speed, the figure screamed and flew at him, just barely missing Chang as he leapt from the stairway and did a flip, landing on his feet facing the attacker who immediately came after him, kicking wildly and punching like lightning. Chang had a hard time defending himself and never had a chance to land a blow as finally the figure swung its leg around and kicked him in the head. He fell to the ground and barely rolled over as he got a foot in his chest. Grabbing it, he stared at its owner and finally got a view of who it was. A small amount of light filtered in and played off the long black hair shimmering and loose, causing Chang's eyes to widen in shock.

Running through hall after hall and thumping up stairs, Milliardo chased after the illusive child teasing him on to follow.

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Who is this? I thought the Sanc Kingdom was abandoned. . .Milliardo thought. As he turned to continue up the stairs, he paused and stared up to the top, seeing the young boy standing at the top and giggling. A window behind him let some sunrays in, playing off the child's light blonde hair.

"Stop, please! Who are you?" Milliardo called out to him. He merely laughed and darted down the hallway at the top of the staircase. Milliardo quickly dashed up the stairs and took off after the child but stopped halfway down the hall, the child nowhere in sight.

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Where'd he go? Milliardo thought, looking down the long hall and seeing nothing but dust, cobwebs, and debris. He began to walk down the hall, testing doorknobs and finding them locked. As he got midway down the long corridor, one door opened and he slowly stepped into the room, his eyes roaming around what looked like a dining hall. Tables stood in formation as left before the attack, some lying on the floor or broken and covered by dust, giving Milliardo an eerie feeling of dejá vú as he thought, _This is. . .where we had our balls and fancy dinners. . .it still looks the way I remember it. . ._a giggle echoed from the hallway and he turned around, jumping into the corridor to see the child far down the hall waving.

"Hey, wait, stop!" Milliardo called out, his hand stretched out to the boy. With a flourish of blonde hair, the boy ran into one of the rooms and closed the door. Milliardo sighed and ran after him, counting the doors to the one the child had gone through. He grabbed the knob and threw open the door, staring into a grand room, empty and vast in space.

"The old fencing room. . ." Milliardo whispered, walking in. He almost forgot the little boy as he daydreamed about past experiences there until he heard another laugh resonate off the high walls. He ran to the center of the arena and turned, looking in every direction for the boy.

"Where are you? Who are you?" Milliardo called out, searching for any signs of him.

"I am who I am, nothing more. . ." The boy's voice rang out, but he was nowhere in sight.

"I don't understand!" Milliardo shouted, getting frustrated.

"You will. . ." A giggle came from across the room and he looked to see the boy standing by another open door.

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The voice. . .sounds vaguely familiar. . .Milliardo thought, running toward the child. The boy quickly turned and ran through the door, disappearing down another hallway.

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What. . .happened. . .I've never felt so weak in my life. . .I can't even move my body. Where am I. . .Heero moaned, trying to move but finding it impossible. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see a thatch roof over his head, the room dimly lit by light coming in from spaces between the wood. He looked around the room and saw a door cracked open.

"Ugh, what is this place. . ." He muttered. A faint voice echoed into his ear and he listened closely, finding two people arguing outside.

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Japanese. . .I wonder if they speak any English. It's. . .a man, in his late 40's. . .and a young man about 18 years old. They sound mad about something. . .tenchi? That's angel. . .they're talking about me. Wait, I remember what happened. . .I was shot down by arrows, most likely the boy. I can't tell whether I'm tied down or not, I can't even feel my body. Someone's coming. Heero looked over at the door and saw the older man enter the hut, the youth following cautiously. The man began to speak, bowing in what Heero guessed was apology.

"I don't speak Japanese very well, do you know any English." Heero moaned dully, trying to wake up.

"Yes, a little. You are. . .tenchi?" The man asked.

"Sort of. . ." The men looked confused. With a sigh, Heero said, "Yes, I am. What happened."

"My son. . .thought you were a bird, he was hunting."

"Why can't I move." Heero groaned, straining to move.

"You were hurt, we numb your body to remove arrows."

"I can't stay here. . ." Heero said, feeling like a cornered animal. The young man peeked around his father and stared at him, mesmerized bit his angelic appearance. Heero looked at them, saying, "When can I move?"

"Not for hours. . ."

"I. . .have to go. . ." Heero said, closing his eyes and using his powers to mentally move his body. He sat up and shocked the men as the boy pointed and shouted, "AKUMA!"

"Yeah, but this demon's gonna save your butts. . ." Heero groaned as he got to his feet and walked toward the door. The man fell to his knees in front of Heero in a bow, followed by the mystified young man.

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What. . .the. . .Heero stared at them in confusion as they rambled on in Japanese about something. His head began to spin a little and he shook it, saying, "Whatever's going on, I can't stick around to find out, sayonara." He leapt over them and out the door, quickly flapping open his wings and soaring into the air in search of the group of mobile suits he was stalking earlier.

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Where am I anyway! Heero wondered as he flew toward the forest near the village. In the distance he saw smoke billowing up from the trees.

"Oh no. . .that stupid boy. . ." Heero cursed under his breath, speeding toward the cloud forming in the sky.

Trowa finished off the last Leo standing and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath as his eyes stared at the ground in shock, the strain of battling with a fever taking a great toll on his physical health.

"I. . .can't. . .fight. . .anymore. . ." Trowa wheezed, his breaths coming in short gasps as his heart pounded wildly in his chest. He tried to desperately shake off the affects of the burning fever and sickness, ignoring the ground as it seemed to spin in circles. Closing his eyes, he focused on catching his breath as he searched for the next gathering of OZ in Germany.

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There's. . .only one left. . .I should be able to. . .make it that far. . .but-oh my gosh, it's. . .that city. . .Trowa's eyes flashed open as he gasped out, "Alyssa. . ." He quickly staggered to his feet and swayed, almost losing his balance as he focused on the city and teleported there. Just as he appeared in the street outside the docking bay, a missile exploded behind him, throwing him forward and into a turned over truck. He struggled to his feet again and stared up at a mobile suit stomping through the wrecked building, searching the area for any signs of life. It spotted Trowa and immediately turned to face him, its dober gun locked onto his position. With a gasp, he quickly darted away in time to avoid the barrage of ammunition unleashed on him.

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This guy's formidable, I'd better be careful not to slip up. Trowa thought as he tore through the cluttered streets, trying to escape the attacker. Finally gaining enough range from buildings, Trowa turned in mid-flight and unleashed his own attack on the suit, a funnel of wind blasting it back a couple hundred feet as it crashed into a demolished building and shut down. The force of the attack knocked Trowa back farther and he collided with a hard surface, yelling in pain as he fell to the ground and lay trembling in shock. Footsteps approached him quickly and he felt a hand rest on his shoulder as someone pulled him face up.


	48. Chapter 48

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. . .I can't think of anything else to say. . .so just read the story already. . .

Chapter 48

Noin swiftly gained her balance back and barely avoided smashing into the ground as she zipped over the surface of the salt flat. Quickly, she turned around and headed toward the factory, her wings stretched out tightly to glide and save energy. She heard booster rockets coming close and looked up to see two Taurus suits coming after her, their guns trained on her.

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I don't think so. . .I didn't graduate 2nd in my class for looking hot in a uniform! Noin thought to herself with a grin, speeding up and heading straight for the factory's walls. She punched her left fist out in front of her, a wave of energy bursting forth and breaking through the wall, leaving an opening for Noin to enter the building by. She came to halt in the middle of the factory, looking around to see many mobile Dolls in production.

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There're hundreds of Dolls here, enough for an army twice the size of what they have right now! I can't let them finish their work. . .time to see what my limits are. . .Noin bowed her head slowly, glaring at the machines quickly assembling Doll after Doll on a long line of conveyer belts. With a flash, her eyes lit up with a purple glow, a mysterious wind striking up around her, rustling her hair and clothes. Raising her hands at her sides, the wind speed picked up, blowing further away from her as it filled the room. Tilting her gaze to the ceiling, she raised her hands to meet it, the gusts of powerful wind gaining hurricane strength, ripping the crossbeams from the roof and removing its supports. Without a backbone, the ceiling began to cave in, falling all around Noin as she put up a force field to prevent damage to herself. She whipped her head to the right, throwing her hand out toward the wall beside her and clenching her hand into a fist. The wall immediately crumbled under her telepathic powers, flying inward as she pulled her hand back toward herself. She did the same to the other walls, making the entire factory implode on itself. Scrambling wildly, soldiers ran for their lives from the flying debris, trying desperately to get to the escape planes stationed nearby in a hangar next to the factory. Noin watched them leave, watching for them to get far enough away before finishing her job. She rose higher above the dilapidated factory and stretched out her wings and arms, saying, "This place will give birth to destruction no longer. . .but burn in the ruin of its own terror." Fireballs appeared from the sky and rained down on the half demolished structure, exploding on impact and bringing about a great blaze that roared to life, melting the machines within the belly of the fire.

His eyes flickered open slowly, a painful throbbing in his head urging him to return to his slumber. But his instincts told him it was time to get up as he moaned and reached to his head. Something soft and light stopped him and he opened his eyes fully to see a pair of beautiful green and blue eyes staring down at him, affixed on his face. He blinked sleepily and said quietly, "Who are. . .you?" The woman seemed to smile with her eyes as she said in a distinctively Indian accent, "My name is. . . Sayla. . .what is yours?"

"Quatre. . .Quatre Winner. . ." He smiled at her but winced as his head pounded more. She dabbed a cold cloth over his forehead and said, "You have a. . .fever, lie still." He quietly obeyed as she wiped the sweat from his face, cooling him down a few degrees. He smiled softly with his eyes closed and said, "Sayla. . .that means. . .the end, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. . .how did you know?"

"That's one of my sisters' names. . ."

"Really? How many sisters do you have?"

"29. . .I can name them: Sayla, Iria, Asha, Mythily, Tara, Leela, Roshan, Yashila, Bhairavi, Hema, Karuka, Vinaya, Ela, Nita, Shanti, Charu, Jyoti, Padma, Dristi, Usha, Anita, Menaka, Tanushri, Rukma, Yoshita, Lona, Pavana, Indrakshi, and Omkareshwari. . .the last one's hard to say so I say her last." Quatre rattled off the names like it was nothing. She blinked and said, "Well, your mind isn't broken, just your body. . ." Quatre laughed but moaned as his head hurt again. She gently ran the cold, damp cloth around his neck and little down on his chest, soothing his discomfort for the moment.

"Sayla. . .you speak English so well. . .how is that?" Quatre whispered, his eyes closed softly as he enjoyed the refreshing coolness of the cloth.

"I went to school in America for a year, my family was against it but I wanted to become a teacher. . .I love children and teaching them is a dream of mine for someday in the future as a job. . ."

"Really. . .I never really thought about what I'd be when I grew up. . .it wasn't exactly high on my priority list. . ." Quatre said, slowly opening his eyes and looking into Sayla's piercing two-toned irises.

"Are you a. . .soldier? Or just an angel sent from Heaven. . ." Sayla asked, fascinated by his wings, dusty and a bit dirty but still glistening white.

"Are you?. . ." Quatre said softly. She blinked and said, "What do you mean? I am no soldier. . ."

"No. . .an. . .angel. . .your eyes are so beautiful, possibly the most amazing thing I've seen on this Earth. . ."

"I. . .well. . .thank you. . ." She looked away, having a tinge of embarrassment in her voice. His face returned to a serious expression as he said, "Sayla. . .are you. . .alone?"

"Alone?" She seemed surprised.

"Do you live with anyone, family, friends. . .husband. . ." He said, a bit lower on the last word. She looked down and said, "I live with my sisters, you may have seen them running with me. We all have been living on our own for a year since our parents were murdered in a massacre taken place in that very square you fought in. It wasn't by OZ, but by another evil military group that has since faded away. The men of this city have either died or left to fight OZ and never returned, so we're vulnerable to attacks. We would have all died today if it weren't for you, Quatre. . ."

"It's my debt to society. . .and my goal in life. Sayla. . .I wish I could stay here and protect you but I have a job to do. . ."

"I understand, I could never asked you to stay. I only hope that my humble services to you now have been of help. . ." Sayla bowed her head solemnly to Quatre. He lifted his hand and rested it on hers, surprising a gasp out of her. She looked up into his eyes as he said, "Sayla . . .I've. . .never met anyone like you before. . .I know we barely know each other but. . .will you come with me?"

"Excuse me?" She looked a little set back by his request.

"I want to get to know you better but I'm afraid if I leave. . .I'll never see you again. . .please, will you come with me?"

"Quatre, I. . .my sisters. . ." She looked over her shoulder. He slowly sat up, his head pounding in disagreement to his movement.

"They should be safe, I'm here in the region to destroy the threat OZ presents so there shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"Then why take me with you if there's nothing to worry about?" She asked, looking into his eyes.

"I don't want to take any chances. . .I have a feeling that our meeting wasn't just by accident. . ."

"You mean. . .as in. . .fate?" Quatre nodded and she blushed, looking away again, "Quatre. . .I. . ."

"Please. . .I don't want to lose you. . .I could regret it forever. Sayla,. . ." He leaned toward her, reaching to her veil and pulling it loose.

"This is the last OZ station in the whole of North America, I didn't expect such a low amount of influence in this region of the Earth. . .I wonder if Duo's almost done as well. . .I'll check in on him when I'm done here." Rachel said to herself, diving through the clouds to attack the final band of mobile suits in the United States. As she approached their location, or where they were suppose to be, she found a surprising sight below her. Among the tents and temporary buildings and storage sheds she found. . .

"Nothing? Where is everyone?" She said to herself, coming to a landing in the middle of the camp. As she began to search for the elusive mobile suits, their presence was revealed. From out of nowhere, a small dart hit her arm and she yelped in pain, reaching over and pulling it out.

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Tranquilizer dart? Oh no. . .She thought to herself, starting to feel its affects already. Desperately, she tried to teleport to avoid getting caught but found it impossible. She stumbled around, flapping her wings and slowly rising off the ground as she attempted an escape.

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What's wrong with me, I can't use my powers! I can't teleport, I can't form any kind of defense, I'm trapped if I don't fly any faster than a mile an hour! She thought, her eyes flashing with fear as the camp erupted with mobile suits and OZ soldiers. She heard an explosion and a net flew at her suddenly, wrapping itself around her like an octopus, entangling her wings and causing her to fall. She hit the ground hard and groaned, hearing quick footsteps storming closer and closer to her as her vision blurred. She tried to move but found it impossible from her present state.

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No. . .this can't be happening. . .Duo, help me. . .anyone. . .please, someone help. . .me. . .help. . .m. . .e. . .She barely saw the first soldier coming to pick her up before the world spun into sudden darkness.

"Olay! Toro, Toro! Come on, you lazy bums, you can fight better than that!" Duo taunted the mobile suits as he shook his backside in their faces to rile them up. She pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue as one finally was infuriated enough to launch an attack. He quickly dodged its attempts and sliced its head clean off with his scythe, flying away as it fell to the ground. He went after the remainder of the suits and brought them out of the sky, taking his final swipe and smiling proudly at his work. As he began to fly on the next target, something hit him in the shoulder and he froze, feeling a sudden painful sensation as he flapped his wings. He looked over and saw a small dribble of red flowing down his jacket, telling him that he had been shot. As he reached to it, another painful feeling formed in his side and he finally yelled, looking for where it had come from. Down below, a mobile suit faced him, one he didn't quite recognize to be any one type or model. He staggered a little and finally dove down to it, avoiding the rain of shots suddenly spewing from its gun.

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Whoever this is, he's got an accurate shot! It's getting hard to dodge them! Duo thought as too many bullets drew close to hitting him. He closed his wings back against his back and dove down, creating a slipstream of wind around him to speed through and float on clear down to his attacker. The shots ended as he drew to above 10 feet from its face and he flipped back, whipping out his wings to bring him to a sudden stop. He dropped down and jammed the end of his scythe into the edge of the hatch, using it as a crowbar to force open the cockpit and reveal the attacker's face to him. As it decompressed, the hatch gave way and fell open, giving away its hidden pilot.

"What the. . ." Duo exclaimed as a 5 year old girl launched herself at him and tackled him, hitting him repeatedly and screaming. He stumbled backwards and the girl slipped, beginning to fall. He grabbed hold of her and she bit him, shouting at him in Spanish.

"Hey, knock it off, kid! What are you doing, I'm the good guy! GOOD! STOP!" Duo finally grabbed her arms and dangled her over the forest, holding her out far enough that she couldn't reach him or bite him. She took a swing with her foot and caught him in a place that caused more pain than either bullet wound he had sustained combined. His eyes widened and he almost dropped the girl, releasing his hold on her as he hunched over in excruciating agony. She climbed up onto his back and pulled at his wings, almost as if she thought they were fake and wanted to relieve him of their burdensome weight. He couldn't reach her now from her perch and in his present painful state, he didn't want to move, he wanted an ice pack. He began to fall as his flying capabilities were compromised and he flapped wildly, trying to regain his balance as the girl wrapped her arms around his neck, choking him.

"GAH!" Duo yelled, reaching to the girl's arms to release the pressure to his throat, quickly constricting tighter by the foot they fell.

Relena woke slowly to the sound of a kettle whistling off in the distance, disturbing her from a restless nightmare. She tried to sit up but the pain from her wing hurt too much to move as she reached to it, moaning in discomfort.

"Hang on now, Sheila, don't move!" The Australian man came running back into the room after hearing her moan and knelt by her side, checking on her bandage in case it needed changing. She stared groggily at him and said, "Where am I?"

"You fell asleep in my house, remember? After that barney, you were zonked and crashed on my couch. Fancy a cuppa? I have some brewing in the billy." The man said cheerfully, smiling. Blinking, she stared at him in confusion.

"A cup of what?" She asked, still confused by his overuse of slang.

"Sorry, miss, cup of tea. . .when you've been in the bush for yonks, you don't have anyone to practice English on!" He laughed, scratching his head. She smiled and said, "I understand, it's a learning experience. . .yes, thank you, I would love some tea."

"Bonza! I'll pour some right now! I have some bangers on the barbie, would you like some of those too?" He asked as he walked off to the kitchen.

"Sure. . ." She shouted to him, then whispered, "Whatever those are. . .I'm guessing food. I hope. . ." She sighed and slowly sat up. She felt her wing to see how badly it was hurt and figured it wouldn't be but a day's time before it was perfectly healed. Looking up, she said, "So, um, I don't think I caught your name, sir."

"No need to be callin' me sir! My name's Nate Bradley, but you can just call me Nate. I'm afraid I don't have any sugar, miss. . ." Nate shouted from the kitchen.

"That's quite fine, it's the liquid that counts, not the taste." She replied. He reentered the room and handed her a cup steaming hot, saying, "Careful you don't burn yourself, it's hot."

"Thank you. . ." She said, blowing the tea to cool it before taking a sip. The man sat down his own cup and headed toward the door, saying, "Sit tight, I'll get the bangers. . ." Relena watched him go before looking around the room. It was dilapidated, to say the least, with holes showing in the light in several parts of the roof. She stood up and began to walk about, seeing finally how small the house really was, consisting of not much more than a kitchen, bathroom, and living room/bedroom, by her guess. She peeked into the doorless bathroom and watched a bug run off behind the toilet, causing her to jump back with a nervous gulp.

"How could anyone live like this?" She whispered to herself, a bit repulsed by the company he kept.

"When all you've got is memories and the two hands you were born with, this is the best you get." Relena whirled around to meet Nate's gaze with a sudden startled gasp. He smiled and sat down a plate of sausages, walking toward the kitchen.

"Oh, I didn't mean to-" She tried to make up for her rude comment.

"No worries, I'm used to it. Don't think it's the first time I've been called a swagman, the people in the Big Smoke say it all the time." Nate said with a chuckle, seeming amused by her reaction. She looked down in shame and walked toward the couch, sitting down slowly and looking the sausages over with a curious eye. She jumped slightly when she heard a great clattering noise in the kitchen and arguing.

"Look out, miss, Goanna coming your way!" Nate yelled. Relena's eyes widened as a large lizard ran into the living room, heading toward her. She threw her hand out to it as it jumped for the coffee table and it froze in the air, floating motionless in her mental grasp. Nate ran out just then, stumbling a bit before freezing himself. He stared in surprise at the floating lizard and said, "Struth! What-"

"It's alright, I have it. . ." Relena said, her chest heaving as her heart raced momentarily from the scare. Nate blinked and said, "So. . .other than those wings and. . .the floaty thing. . .what can you do?"

"A lot. . .aren't you scared? I thought it was odd you didn't mind my wings but this. . .I thought you would have started calling me a demon for sure!" Relena said, staring at the lizard warily as it hissed at her, finally getting over the momentary shock of being frozen in mid-jump.

"Not really. . .I've seen weirder things. . .may I?" He inched toward the lizard. She nodded and floated it toward him to grab hold of. He held tight as it writhed around in his grasp, quickly walking toward the door and setting the lizard down to run off outside. He turned back to face Relena who stared after it and said, "What was that anyway?"

"Goanna. . .frilled dragon. Nasty little things if you're not careful. That Sheila was trying to build a nest in my silverware drawer." He laughed, walking back into the kitchen to clean up the mess made by the encounter. He returned with two plates and forks, handing a set to Relena and said, "Here, eat up before it gets cold!" She nodded and speared a sausage, forgetting her manners for a minute to follow Nate's example.

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Better not get all regal right now. . .it might be an insult. . .Relena thought, taking a bite of the sausage and smiling her approval.


	49. Chapter 49

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. Do not complain about references made in this chapter, I used internet and other reliable information to write this section and I know what I'm doing…like: Chang's not really from the Dragon Clan…but his wife was…get it? Anyway, don't analyze the story, just read it…

Chapter 49

"You're a. . .woman. . ." Chang said slowly in a tone of surprise, still holding the fighter's foot. Flipping her hair out of her face aggressively, she said, "Of course I am, my name is Asuka Ling of the Shai Tsu Clan and you are an invader!"

"My name is Chang Wufei. . .of the Dragon Clan. . ." Chang said, trying to subside the memories of his late wife. She looked surprised, saying, "Dragon Clan? I heard that clan was destroyed with Colony A0206 last year. . .how can you be a part of them? Are you a coward? Did you flee while your family died?"

"No! I could do nothing for them! I was forced to watch them die, against my will! How dare you presume that I am such a coward to let them die willingly!" Chang spat out in anger. He brought his leg over sharply, hitting her in the back of her left knee and knocking her down. She let out a cry of pain and surprise as she hit the ground, quickly being pinned down by Chang.

"Unhand me, weakling!" She screamed, writhing about under him. He stared into her fierce eyes wild with anger and said, "How can you call me weak when I am the one holding you down?" She growled at him and snaked her leg around his waist, using every ounce of her strength to bring him over. As soon as she had him off balance, she kneed him in the crotch, causing him more than enough pain to overpower him. She tackled him and whipped his sword from his belt, putting it to his throat and saying, "What were you saying?"

"Clever. . .but not clever enough. . ." Chang gasped, still in much agony. He closed his eyes and began to growl, his low growl turning into a war cry as his body echoed with the scream, a reflection of the sound wave forcing Asuka away. She flew across the room, doing a quick flip and hand spring before landing smoothly on her feet. With a sharp flick of her hair, she screamed, rushing toward Chang who had by now gotten to his feet, as painful as it was. He kicked out his foot and she dodged his hit, rolling off to the side and taking a swing with the katana. He ducked, swinging his hand up and catching her hand, twisting it back and causing her some pain as she growled under her breath, losing grip on the sword as it fell to the ground with a clatter. He then proceeded to flip her over his shoulder but she realized what he was doing and grabbed the back of his pants preventing him from slamming her against the ground.

"How dare you toss a lady! Have you no manners! Fighting a woman like a man!" She shrieked in his ear, keeping a firm grip on his pants for safety's sake. He growled at her and said, "I only treat you by the manner you act! Act like a lady and maybe I'll give you the respect you deserve. . ." She hissed and bit his neck, causing him to scream and release her. She jumped away, doing several back flips across the room to distance herself from Chang and devise another plan of attack. Stopping on the opposite side of the large room, she crouched down like a hunting tiger, staring down her winged prey. Chang reached to his neck and felt the blood slowly dripping from the bite she gave him, saying, "You are a shedevil. . .a sprite, deceitful and treacherous, using your beauty to tempt vain warriors to their deaths."

"And you presume you are not one to die by my hands? You won't be the first enemy I've taken down." She shouted to him as she crawled tauntingly across the floor, giving him a sly grin. Chang followed her movement as he responded, "You mistake me for the enemy, I am here to rid the world of the fools under the guidance of OZ, those 'men' in the mobile suits that you were slaughtering. . ."

"Liar. . .if you were on my side you wouldn't attack me. . ."

"You attacked me first, it's merely self-defense. . ." He said, a slight grin of amusement. She frowned and said, "You find this funny?"

"Ironic, really. . .that two soldiers fighting on the same side would kill each other instead of engaging the enemy together. . ."

"When you prove you're worthy of my help, I will join you. . .but only when you defeat me in battle will I join your conquest." She spat out, crouching lower and reaching back to her revealed thighs and plucking a pair of daggers from holsters attached there. She bore one in front of her face and swung the other back behind her back, saying, "Come and claim your death!"

"I doubt it." He said in a low voice, diving to the side and swiping up his sword as she came for him.

"Why do you always stay far enough that I cannot see you clearly? Are you afraid I will recognize you?" Milliardo shouted, looking around corners as he searched for the boy in the locker room of the fencing court.

"I'm not the one distancing us. . ." The boy's voice echoed through the whole room, not giving his location away. Confused beyond comprehension, Milliardo punched a locker, screaming, "These riddles make no sense!"

"Only because you will not stop to think about what I have said. . ." The boy responded. In defeat, Milliardo plopped down onto one of the benches, putting his head in his hands as it spun around painfully.

"I don't. . .understand. . .what do you want from me!"

"For you to remember. . .think. . ." Milliardo finally calmed his thoughts, a idea popping into his mix of emotions.

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Wait. . .he said. . .I am who I am. . .nothing more. . .what does he mean by that? And. . .why did he say he wasn't the one keeping us apart? If. . .he's the one running. . .

"You force me to run. . .don't you see?" The boy finally appeared about 10 feet from Milliardo, staring at him with cold hard eyes that flashed a pale blue. Milliardo's eyes widened and he said, "You. . .you're. . ."

"You." The boy finished. Milliardo blinked his eyes in disbelief. It wasn't often that you met your childhood self face to face, in fact, he figured it was pretty much impossible. Either that or he had just lost his mind.

"This can't be real, you aren't real. . ." Milliardo said in a disbelieving voice.

"But you are. . .why am I so impossible? I exist just as much as you or our sister, Relena. . ."

"This is some aftershock of Rachel's powers, isn't it? Well, I have my own job to do, if you'll excuse me. . ." Milliardo stood and then thought to himself, _Why am I excusing myself from a conversation with my child self? I seriously need a vacation. . .or a swift knock in the head to reboot. . ._ He stalked toward the locker room door and barely touched the handle before he heard young Milliardo say, "Always running from your past. . .you're never going to free yourself from guilt if you keep that up. What would mother say if she saw you like this? How can you live with knowing you're a disappointment to your family?"

"Easily. . ." Milliardo said in his lowest tone, turning the doorknob and pulling open the door. Suddenly, a strong current of wind rushed in from the other side and blasted the door open, knocking him to the floor. He stared wide-eyed at an abyssal black void beyond the doorway, nothing but dismal black visible from his seat on the floor.

"It's your heart, Milliardo. . .an empty vacuum in your body as dark as a moonless night. Anyone that dares try to enter it disappears forever, doomed to wander the endless depression for all eternity. You will never find them again if they enter. . .only you can contain this black hole inside you. So you have two choices. One: Leave now and soon lose everyone you love to its careless nature. . .or. . .two: Stay, and face your past like a true warrior. I am merely a projection of what you can be, you have to achieve a level of light on your own. Hide or seek hope, Milliardo, it's as simple as that. . ." At that, young Milliardo turned and walked away, slowly fading into the scenery. With a nervous gulp, Milliardo faced the black abyss and said in a whisper, "But. . .I can't. . .it took me this long to forget. . ."

Heero slammed the last mobile suit with a burning tornado, melting away the remains of any sign of OZ.

"Weak. . .preying on innocent lives. . ." Heero muttered, glaring down at the burning forest. He quickly went to work putting out the flames and finished just before his head began to spin.

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What. . .what's going. . .on. . .Heero thought, touching his head as he lost altitude.

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I can't focus on everything at once. . .flying, fighting, moving, staying awake. . .it's. . .it's too much. . .Heero almost panicked trying to fly again. But it was too late. He crashed through the trees for the second time, injuring himself further and getting snagged in a tree high from the ground. Hanging upside down, he stared down in exhaustion, not quite realizing the dangerous and precarious position he was in at the moment, the branches slowly bending and creaking under the strain of his weight. He gasped for air as he lost control over his body and went limp, his head throbbing too much to concentrate on more than one thing. At the moment, breathing was more important.

"I. . .I can't feel my body. . .curse those people. . ." Heero whispered in a raspy tone. He felt something wet and warm hit his cheek and he managed to tilt his head up, seeing his wing bleeding badly with a branch tangled in and around it.

"Shouldn't. . .bleed long. . .at this angle all the blood. . .will flow to my head. I'll pass out before I die." Heero said to himself in an almost ironically sarcastic manner. He heard footsteps below and let his head hang again, getting a view of men running up to his location and staring at him. They weren't chattering in Japanese, but clear English.

"There's another one, get it down and bring it to Commander Treize immediately! I'll patrol the region for any signs of other angels." One man said, presumably the leader of the scout group.

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Oh no. . .another one? Who else did they find? Hopefully no one's been captured, like I'm about to be. I have to do something, I can't allow this to happen. . .Heero groaned painfully, trying to move again. The branch holding most of his weight crashed and he began to fall more. His wing tore in half and he cringed, feeling the blood pouring down his right leg. Even though he couldn't feel it now, he knew it wouldn't be fun later when he could.

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I only have one choice. . .I have to teleport. But where and to who? The one I pick might have been kidnapped. . .or dead. I have to be careful, I'm in no position to defend myself. Well, here goes. . . He thought long and hard about who would be the best choice to join and finally closed his eyes, teleporting just as one of the soldiers climbed the tree to retrieve him.

"It's. . .it's you!" Alyssa gasped, surprised by the different look Trowa had. He panted for air and said in a raspy voice, "A. . .Alys. . .sa. . ."

"Don't talk, you're badly hurt! We have to get inside, if we stay out here we'll get caught!" She reached down and started to lift him up, supporting his entire weight as she carried him into the hospital.

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She's strong. . .Trowa thought in amazement, trying to help but stumbling half the time. She stopped by the front desk and helped him behind it where she sat him down, taking great care not to hurt him anymore than he already was. With a moan of agony, he winced as she felt his back to sense the severity of his injuries.

"Your back may be broken, can you move?" Alyssa asked, looking him over for any other wounds. He slowly gave her a painful nod and she looked into his eyes. The anguish filling the deep green color caught Alyssa's attention for a minute. He reached up to her arm and grabbed it gently, saying, "I. . .I have to. . .have to. . ."

"You have to rest is what you have to do! Don't worry, our men are out there fighting those monsters, they'll leave soon. . ." She paused as the look in Trowa's eyes told her otherwise.

"Alyssa. . .there's nothing but OZ soldiers out there. . .you're defenseless. . ." Trowa said, feeling sorry for her being in such a dangerous position. She stared at him with wide eyes as she said, "I'm sure. . .there's still someone fighting. . ."

"Where's your family. . ." Trowa asked, getting serious.

"They're here. . .somewhere. My mother was hurt while moving my father and sister here after our home was destroyed. Why?"

"I know how much. . .they mean to you. . .you should. . .make sure they're alright. . .I'll be fine." Trowa said quietly, still gasping for air. She shook her head and said, "How did you. . ."

"Catherine told me. . .where is she?" Alyssa looked away sadly, saying in a choked whisper, "Out there somewhere. . .at least. . .her body is. . ." Trowa stared at her, feeling sorry for her losing so much. Still holding her arm, he gently squeezed it, getting her attention.

"I have to go back out there, those tyrants won't leave until the last building standing has been blown clear away. I have no choice. . .I'm the only one who can. . ."

"But, David. . .you-" She began to cry, hanging her head as tears ran down her cheek.

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Why is she doing this? Concerned. . .for me? I owe this girl more than I could possibly give her, I feel I should do something. . .to repay her kindness. . .Trowa thought. He brought his hand up to her cheek and brushed away her tears as she looked up at him.

"Alyssa. . .you're so kind. . .you don't deserve this much pain. I feel that. . .I should repay you for your courtesy. . ." Trowa said softly. She blinked in surprise and said, "What. . .do you mean?"

"Anything. . .ask me and I'll. . .do it. . ." Trowa said, his eyes telling her that he meant what he said.

"Any. . .thing?" She stared at him in astonishment. Just then, an explosion shook the building, knocking Alyssa off balance as she fell against Trowa. He held onto her until the shaking stopped, slowly letting her sit back up as she looked at him shyly in embarrassment. He stared at her distantly for a moment before gently pushing her back, leaning forward to get up.

"I have to stop them, they're getting too close to the hospital." Trowa said, beginning to stand. She tried desperately to stop him, saying with tears in her eyes, "No, you couldn't possibly!"

"There's more to me than meets the eye. . .I promise, I'll stop them." He looked down at her, great concern in his slightly hazy eyes. He turned his gaze to the front doors, seeing rubble crumbling to the ground outside from another demolished building. He slowly zigzagged toward the door, leaning against the wall as his back throbbed and shot painful seizers up and down his spine. Alyssa stared at him in fright, her hands clutched tightly against her chest as she shouted to him, "Please, don't do this! You'll die!" He paused and looked down, saying sullenly, "I'd rather die fighting for peace than live knowing I could have stopped this. . ."

"David. . ." Alyssa gasped quietly, her eyes shaky as she held back the tears building up between her lashes.


	50. Chapter 50

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and that's it…not much else I can say. Oh, I don't know much about Asian cultures so don't fuss about the Krishna references in the story…it's suppose to be fiction. And if the Spanish is a little off, it's cause that's the best I could do with and my Gringa knowledge of the language…XD

Chapter 50

Noin finished off the last group of OZ mobile suits and said, "There. . .that should be it. Now what did they say to do after my task was completed? Oh yes, join Rachel for further instructions. Now, I suppose I just focus on her location and teleport there. . ." She said to herself, landing and envisioning Rachel in her mind. She teleported and appeared in a dark room, looking around in confusion and thinking, _This doesn't look good. . ._Instantly, she turned invisible and searched the darkness further, wondering where Rachel was hiding.

__

"Noin. . .leave. . ." Noin heard a voice echo in her head and responded quickly.

__

"Rachel, what is this place?" Noin thought back, still not able to see her.

__

"Go. . .I'll be fine, check on the others. . ." Rachel responded, ignoring her question. Finally, Noin felt her presence, walking forward and kneeling by a chained up ball curled in a corner.

"Noin, please. . ." Rachel begged in a whisper.

"You're hurt. . ." Noin whispered back, feeling her body trembling.

__

"Go." Rachel insisted.

__

"Why are you allowing this to happen? I don't understand!" Noin thought back in confusion.

__

"I can handle this, you must help the others."

"Rachel-"

"Go, that's a direct order." Rachel thought violently. Noin blinked in surprise and rocked back on the balls of her feet, about to refute her order when the clink of keys against metal echoed into the room.

__

"that's them, go before both of us are captured!" Rachel screamed in her mind, looking up pleadingly with her eyes. Noin ground her teeth and stood up, saying in a harsh whisper, "I am not leaving you." The door swung open and Rachel looked up in astonishment, finding that Noin wasn't visible.

"You, get up! Treize would like to have a talk with you. . ." A stern voiced man said, his shoulders back haughtily and his nose in the air as he stared down at her with a frown. Noin kept completely silent as she watched, waiting for an opportune moment to spring her. Rachel shakily began to crawl to her feet, slowly inching her way to a hunched over sitting position. The man impatiently stepped toward her and yelled, "Get up!"

"I'm. . .trying. . ." She said, her arms showing the weakness in her body. The man growled and bent down, sharply pulling her to her feet and dragging her out of the room, cursing her out the whole way. Noin watched on in horror as she thought, _That man wore an OZ uniform. . .what has happened to the morale of this organization!_

Sayla grabbed her veil and stopped it from revealing her face as Quatre tried to see her.

"Quatre, I. . .I don't think I should let you. . ." She shyly turned away. He looked down shamefully and said, "Sorry. . .I. . .was just wondering if your face was as lovely as your eyes. . ."

"My face is. . .for my husband's eyes only. . ." She said quietly. He smiled and nodded, saying, "I understand. I should go, if I'm going to finish off OZ here and help the others. Will you come?"

"I. . .I suppose. . .but you're still hurt and sick!"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm fine! I have medicine for it anyway, no big deal. . ." He smiled sweetly. They both stood and walked out of the small room, entering a quaint living room that was full at the moment with fully covered women chattering away in their native language. They all stopped and turned to him, standing and rushing over to him chattering again while taking him in their hands and guiding him over to the comfy cushions they had been sitting on.

"Sayla, what's going on?" Quatre asked over his shoulder as he was being dragged. He plopped down on the pillows and blinked curiously as the women rushed about, getting him food and doing various things, one talking to him while brushing through his silky hair. He looked at Sayla for an answer and she seemed to be lost for a minute as well. Finally, she stepped forward and spoke to them, asking them in a sweet voice exactly what they were doing. One of the sisters that was preening his feathers responded and Sayla's eyes gave away a surprised expression. She turned to Quatre and said, "Apparently, they think you're a deity sent from Krishna to protect us. It's. . .their way of thanking you."

"Krishna? Oh no, I'm nothing of the sort! I'm just a human being, different, of course, but definitely not a deity! I don't even believe in Krishna. . ."

"Neither do I. . .that's another reason my father wasn't pleased with me." Sayla said, a sparkle in her eyes of slight mischief. Quatre smiled back and enjoyed the attention for a moment before saying, "Perhaps you should explain to them. . ."

"They wouldn't understand. . ."

"Well. . .if they won't understand that. . .tell them I'm on a journey to rid Asia of the evil presence of OZ and I have chosen you to help me. . ."

"Really? You. . .you don't really want me to say that, do you?" She didn't seem too keen on this idea.

"Sure, why not!" He smiled, letting one of the sisters give him some dates.

"Alright. . .if you insist. . ." She called to her sisters and explained what he told her in their language, getting a sudden uproar of giggles and chirps from the women. A few floated over to her and rushed her off to another room and Quatre cocked an eyebrow.

"What's going on?" He called out to her.

"Um, nothing! Maybe I'll tell you later!" She shouted over her shoulder. Quatre shrugged and smiled to the women combing out his hair. She blushed and looked down, combing gentler.

"You look familiar, have we met before?" Lady Une said to Rachel as she stood in front of her hunched form on the floor. Rachel looked up and said, "Maybe, I've met a lot of OZ soldiers in my journey. . ."

"Have you now. . .any relation to the children piloting the Gundams?" Treize entered the questioning room and stared at Rachel, seeming to take in her appearance in case he'd have to find her later. The soldiers in the room stood at attention and saluted, including Colonel Une who said, "Sir! We found this one attacking a base in Los Angeles, California. We had followed a pattern of attack she seemed to be following and caught her at her last attack off guard."

"Good work, Colonel Une. . ." Treize gave her a quick glance and Rachel watched Une's response.

__

Heh, she still has a thing for him. And it seems in this version of the game he's playing her a little bit. . .could he have feelings too? Or is he just using her. . .we'll see soon enough. Rachel thought, putting on her best poker face as she stared up at Treize. He knelt in front of her and said with a straight face, "Whoever you are, you seem to have friends of the same mutated nature. . .they've been attacking our bases all over the world. Anywhere we are, they are too. Except as of late they seem to have slowed their attacks. Perhaps they've found out you're missing?"

"I haven't been in contact with them since my capture, possibly they don't realize I'm trying to talk to them." Rachel replied in a monotone voice. Treize stood and turned from her, walking slowly toward Une as he removed his gloves.

"We almost caught one of your allies, a man with short, eye length brown hair and aggressive tendencies. . .anyone you know?" Treize asked coolly.

__

Heero. . .I hope he's alright. . .Rachel thought, holding back the urge to attack Treize.

"Don't think so, most of my allies are women. . .wouldn't trust a man to save me for anything. . ." Rachel lied through her teeth.

"He was injured badly, from what information I received from the field, his wing was torn in half, bleeding everywhere, quite nasty. . .just before we got the chance to retrieve him from the tree he had fallen into, he vanished without a trace. Why didn't you do the same? Perhaps you wanted to be captured?" Treize took a syringe from Une and tested it. Rachel stared at it in surprise for a moment and almost gasp.

"Vanish? How would I do that? I'm not a magician. . ." She said, trying to sound as honest as she could.

"Either way, we'll find out the truth soon enough. . .try not to resist too much. . ." Treize said, walking back toward Rachel. Her emotions finally took over and she tried to back away, immediately feeling strong hands on her holding her down.

__

"Noin, help. . .please don't let him do this!" Rachel thought profusely, gritting her teeth as he took hold of her arm.

"This won't hurt. . .much. . .but then again, the truth hurts sometimes. . ." Treize said, almost grinning as he injected the contents of the syringe into her arm.

"OoooOOOHHH CRUUUDDD!" Duo yelled as the forest quickly grew to him and the girl, finally feet from swallowing them. He instinctively grabbed the girl and shielded her from the foliage as they crashed through the trees, branches breaking against Duo's body and giving him cuts and gashes. They finally got caught up in a snag of branches and the girl finally let out a shriek. Duo cringed and, still holding the girl tightly in his arms, said painfully, "It's. . .alright, kiddo, I gotcha. . .I won't let you fall."

"Usted no deja para ir!" The girl cried in Spanish, finally releasing her hold of Duo's throat and clutching his jacket. He smiled and said, "So. . .you only speak Spanish? Español?" She looked into his eyes tearfully and said, "S. . .si?"

"Okay. . .well, I don't really know that language very well. . .let's see, uh. . . no hablo Español bien?" Duo attempted at talking to her. She blinked and said quietly, "No. . .habla?"

"Nope, I speak a few other languages but mainly English. Do you know that word? English?"

"En. . .glesh. . ." She tried to sound out the word. Duo nodded and smiled sweetly.

"Usted no habla Español, sino usted habla Inglés?" The girl asked.

"Um. . .if that's English then yeah, that's what I speak. I also speak Japanese and German. . .don't know why I learned German but I guess I was just bored. . . Guten Tag?" She looked at him in confusion and he chuckled softly, saying, "Nevermind. Just sit tight, alright, I'll think of someway of getting us down safely, okay?" She blinked and he patted his chest, saying, "Lay down, rest." She slowly laid her head down and looked up at him curiously. He smiled and nodded and she smiled back, saying, "Me aflijo a que ataqué usted." He patted her back and rubbed it slowly, almost falling asleep in his hanging position. He was laying on his back, a little painful but he didn't mind, the girl resting on his chest nearly asleep. They both almost fell asleep when a distant call echoed in the forest.

"Padre. . ." The girl muttered, looking up sleepily. The call came again and she perked up, moving suddenly as she shouted, "Padre!"

"Hey, kid, sit still! We're gonna fall!" Duo said, holding the girl as the branches began to creak. She looked down at him and he shook his head. She closed her mouth and looked scared. They both heard feet crashing through the forest and she looked into Duo's eyes questioningly. He grit his teeth a moment before saying, "Call them, talk." He motioned for her to do so and she nodded, slowly leaning back to get away from Duo's head so she didn't deafen him with her calls.

"Padre, Estoy sobre aquí, en este árbol! Ayuda yo por favor y mi salvador, ningún daño él! Estamos sobre aquí! Aquí, padre, aquí!"

"Maria, recuperaremos usted, no mueva!" the powerful voice called out from below.

"Maria. . .is that your name?" Duo asked, pointed to her. She pointed too and nodded, saying, "Maria. . ." Smiling, Duo pointed to himself and said, "Duo." The girl smiled and laid back down, snuggling into his embrace and whispering, "Duo. . . mi salvador."

Relena sighed, leaning back and saying, "You are an excellent cook, Nate! Those sausages were the best! And the tea was good too. . .how could a man like you go without being married?" Nate chuckled and said, "Well. . .the sheilas don't roam much into the bush. . .so I don't meet many. . .just me and that old bugger out there. . ." Nate motioned to the dog lounging on the porch. Relena chuckled and finished off her tea, saying, "Maybe you should move to the city, I'm sure there's bound to be a girl for you there!"

"Nah, I like being alone. . .what about yourself? Got anyone back home? A beaut like you couldn't be free!" Relena blushed and said, "Well. . .actually, I do. His name's Heero, he's very nice and sweet. . .in his own way."

"A lady like you deserves a bloke who'll love ya forever, treat ya with respect. . .hope he's worth it."

"Wouldn't want another. . ." She smiled. Nate sensed her infatuation and grinned. Just then, the dog began to bark outside, causing Nate to jump to his feet.

"What is it, a bushranger? I'll knock that berk upside the-hold up, now!" Nate stepped outside and saw a man laying on the ground in a heap, tattered and looking close to death. Nate ran over to him and helped him up, saying, "Well mate, you seem to be up a gum tree here, come on inside, I'll help ya. . ." Curious, Relena stepped to the screen door and peeked out to see Nate carrying her boyfriend.

"HEERO!" Relena gasped, bursting out the door and flying to his side in a fluster.

"R. . .Relena. . ." Heero looked up slowly, his body limp in Nate's grasp. Relena took his face in her hands, looking deep into his eyes as she said, "Heero, what happened, who did this to you!"

"Relena, is it? Well, miss Relena, we should get the poor bloke indoors, it's not good to sunbake when you have open wounds." Nate said as he started forward with Heero. A little dazed from the transport, Heero tried to weakly fight off Nate.

"No, Heero, stop! He's a friend!" Relena said, grabbing his hand gently. He looked into her eyes and moaned, his body getting weaker. Relena quickly slipped under his other arm and helped Nate get him into the shack, passing by the dog that sniffed at Heero and then the trail of blood his broken wing left behind. They laid him on the floor and Nate ran off to his bathroom to retrieve his medical kit while Relena made Heero comfortable.

"I'm gonna have to make a run into the Big Smoke to get some more supplies if this keeps up! Either that or call for an ambo for him!" Nate called over his shoulder as he dug around the cabinet over his sink. Heero groaned and reached for Relena's hand, saying in a whisper, "Relena. . ."

"It's alright, Heero, we're gonna help you. . ."

"No. . .listen. . .someone. . .someone's in trouble. . .I thought it was you. . .I was. . .worried. . ." Heero gasped, looking into her eyes with sincere concern. She looked sad and said, "Heero. . .I'm glad you were concerned. . .but, if someone else is in trouble. . .wait, in trouble how?"

"Oz. . .tried to capture me. . .this was. . .all I could do. . .to escape. . ." Heero cringed and groaned again, his body twitching from the pain.

"Why did they want to capture you?" Relena was getting serious. If someone was in danger she had to do something.

"I. . .I don't know. . .they only talked about. . .another like me. . .bringing me back to Treize. . ." He mumbled, his body going limp. He gasped for air and moaned again, looking like he was holding back a lot more than an occasional moan. Relena stroked his hair and said in a calm, soft voice, "Alright, I'll see what I can do to find out what's going on. If they know about us and are trying to take us down, then we need to form a new plan. . .Heero, is something else wrong besides the obvious? What happened there?" He looked up with a blank stare. Relena leaned closer and thought to him, _"Tell me in my mind. . ."_

"I was about to attack OZ when some stupid village kid shot me with arrows and knocked me out. Then his father numbed my whole body with something so I can't move, only with my mind. It was too much of a drain on my mind and when I left to attack OZ again, I barely finished them off before falling from the sky and crashing into the forest. That's how my wing got broken and my body was badly torn and bruised. Then OZ found me and tried to catch me, but I teleported. . ."

"Okay, rest now, I'll take care of you." She said, kissing his forehead. He nodded slowly and let the exhaustion take him over, passing out into a deep sleep.


	51. Chapter 51

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. I used Japanese words and phrases in this chapter so if you don't understand it, just go to the source, a great Duo Shrine: http: and everything will be there with its English translation. Oh, and I used a part from the manga "Episode Zero" by: Katsuyuki Sumisawa as a flashback, just so you know and don't sue me for plagiarism! (I love this manga, btw! It's cool. . .and the art rocks!)

Chapter 51

They locked weapons and gazes, having a power struggle as they stared each other down with loathing and hatred in their eyes. Chang pushed her away and swung his sword at her. She blocked with one of her daggers and turned it, catching the sword in another lock and preventing Chang from pulling it free. He grew angry and swung his leg around, catching her in the side and bringing a cry of pain from her. Stepping forward, he slammed his shoulder into her and knocked her back. She fell to the ground and cringed, growling as she stared at him. He brought the blade to her neck, saying with a triumphant stance, "I win."

"Think again!" She said, slashing her dagger across his leg and cutting it. He stumbled back in pain and ground his teeth to hold in a cry. Asuka jumped to her feet and ignored the painful throbbing in her side as she crossed her daggers and said, "You have not defeated me yet. . .I have no fear of death so don't think simply pointing your sword at me will take me down."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He said sarcastically, bringing up his sword and taking a swing at her. They clashed back and forth, blocking and lunging and dancing around the room as they tried to gain the upper hand. Chang finally threw off one of her weapons and kicked the other across the room, cutting off her route to retrieve it and swinging his sword at her again. She ducked down and punched up, hitting him in the crotch again. It hurt worse this time because he was already sore and he loosened his grip on the sword. Asuka kicked it free and it slid across the floor, far from either of them. She tried to run for it but Chang caught her wrist, whipping her back and trying to bend her arm around into a locked position. But she slipped around and flipped him over, putting her foot on his chest to pin him down. He growled at the pain as she held his arm up straight and strained it. In a fit of fury, he kicked his leg up and caught her in the gut, loosening her grip and grabbing her foot. He pulled her off balance and she collapsed, being quickly tackled by her opponent. They rolled across the floor, struggling to gain the upper hand over the other and quickly growing tired. Neither wanted to quit so this carried on for a minute or so under Asuka punched him in the face and he slapped her, bringing force a shriek of anger.

"BAKA!" She screamed.

"KASUKA!" Chang screamed.

"Akiramenai. . ." She growled, grabbing his collar.

"Enjitsu owatta yo?" Chang said, staring deep into her eyes fiercely.

"Iie. . ."

"Ittaizentai." Chang leaned forward and locked his lips with hers, holding her down as he passionately kissed her. She didn't fight at first, letting him begin to massage her tongue with his and deeply kiss her. As he pressed up against her, she snaked her leg around his leg and pulled sharply, causing his legs to come apart as she tried to slam her knee into him again. But he shifted his weight and caught her, falling to the side with her thigh locked between his legs. He broke his lips away from hers and she gasped, glaring at him. He stared back and said softly, "Asuka. . ."

"Let me go. . ." She growled, writhing slightly.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because. . .you'll hit me in the groin again. . .and besides, you like it. . ."

"Ecchi." Asuka hissed. He didn't blink as he said, "Fine. . ." He quickly let go and rolled away, standing and looking at her for a minute before turning to walk away. Asuka blinked and sat up, calling out, "Where are you going?"

"I have better things to do than waste time with you. . .if you're going to be like that." Chang said as he walked toward the edge of the building where the wall was torn away. Asuka stood and brushed the dust from her tight Chinese dress, walking toward Chang and saying, "Chang, you say you're from the Dragon Clan but you don't fight like them. Their strongest warrior was a girl, named Meiran. . .she supposedly married some snobby scholarboy from another clan before her death. . ."

"We weren't supposedly married!" Chang spat out, fiercely glaring at Asuka. She seemed slightly startled by his outburst as she said, "How long ago was it?" His lip twitched and he turned away again, saying, "Last year. Same day as her death. . ." Asuka looked toward her daggers laying in separate corners of the building.

"I suppose you didn't love her much if you're mauling someone else not long after her death. . ." Asuka said rather insensitively. Chang stormed toward her and she cringed as he grabbed her arm roughly, squeezing hard as he growled out, "I was a horrible husband to her, I called her weak and thought her ideals were stupid, I even told her that to her face! I defeated her in battle and insulted her pride, leaving her alone in the rain because my ego was blinding me from seeing the true weakling fighting. Then, of all things, when OZ attacked our Colony, she defended the very meadow I fought her in from any harm done by the battle. I tried desperately to save her from their evils, demanding her to return to the Colony. But I was still too late, her mobile suit exploded and her body floated limply through space. Her last request to me was to bring her back to the meadow to die there. So, I did as she asked, and she died by my side that day. . .fighting for something that wasn't deserving of her devotion, someone who couldn't care less how she felt. I love her now, far after I could have told her that myself. My feelings have come too late and I have had to suffer the consequences and hold strong to HER ideals so that I can show my love for her through my actions. So you ask me again, Asuka, if I love her. . .ASK ME!" Asuka blinked and said, "I. . .I'm sorry, Chang. . ."

"Bah, leave me alone. I don't know why I kissed you, maybe it was the same fiery look in your eyes that Meiran had. . .you look similar to her. . .but you're nothing like her. Meiran was no mere woman. . .she was Nataku. . .my Nataku. . ." He released her and turned, starting toward the edge of the room again.

"Chang, wait!" Asuka ran back into the room, picking up his sword and running back to him. He watched her hold out the sword and say, "Your katana. . .don't leave it." He slowly took hold of the hilt and picked it up, placing it back into its sheath and saying in a quiet voice, "Arigatou. . ." She stepped forward and touched his shoulder, saying in a gentle voice, "Chang. . .you have won this battle. . .I will join you in your conquest, as I promised." Chang turned to her and said, "You. . .will join me?"

"I am a woman of my word. I will fight with you until I draw my last breath. . ." Asuka said with a serious face. Chang nodded and put out his hand. The daggers flew to him and he grabbed them, holding them out to a surprised Asuka.

"Here are your weapons. . .if you really need them. . ." He said, smirking. She snatched them from him and put them away, saying, "Arigatou. Where is your transport?" Chang expanded his wings and said, "Right here"

"You're kidding. . .what am I suppose to do!" Asuka looked ticked. Putting out his arms, Chang smiled. Rolling her eyes, Asuka said as she let him pick her up, "You drop me and so help me, you'll feel worse pain down south than I've caused you today!" Chang grinned and took off, saying, "What's your fetish with my manhood?"

"It's my trademark move. . ." She grinned.

"Ecchi. . ." Chang glared at her in amusement.

"I don't want to train anymore, mother! I'm tired of practicing my fencing skills. . .why can't I go outside and play with the other boys?"

"Are the other boys heirs to anything other than their own insanities?"

"They're not insane, mother! Why must you always see them that way just because their fathers aren't kings!"

"My son, you must one day rule over those boys. . .growing attached will only make it harder."

"I don't care, I don't even want to be a prince! I don't want to be king of the Sanc Kingdom!"

"Milliardo, watch your tongue! You'll upset your sister. . ."

"My sister. . .she's a better heir than I am and she's only 3! Only 3. . ._only 3. . .she was only 3 and I was already handing over the future to her. . .I gave up even then on my future, like I had already determined that I would turn my back to my family and name. . .how could I do this to Relena, leave everything to her. . .only but a mere child with the world on her shoulders? But it's too late now. . .I have killed too many to ever deserve the name 'Peacecraft' again. . ._

"Sister, I'm leaving. . .please don't follow me this time. . ."

"But Millie, why? Father won't yell at you again, he was just mad!"

"Lena. . .I made him mad, there's nothing that will stop it from happening again. There's just some things you can't understand. . ."

"Why not!"

"Please don't cry, sister, I will see you again. . .someday. . ."

"No, don't leave, Millie! I promise I'll tell father to leave you alone! Please stay!"

"Lena. . .I can't. . .it's your job now to take father's place when he passes on. . ."

"But I'm scared, Millie, please don't leave me alone!"

"You'll never be alone, I will always be there for you, watching over you. . .you'll never be alone. . .alone. . .goodbye. . ._my little sister. . .I said goodbye because I was too scared myself to grow up. . .too confused. . .too childish. . .I wasn't ready for the burden forced upon me. . .I'm sorry. . ._

"I'm sorry, sir, it will never happen again."

"It better not, Cadet! You mess up again and your whole future with OZ goes down the toilet!"

"I understand, sir. . ."

"The last cadet to single-handedly destroy THREE Taurus Mobile Suits by just TRIPPING. . .wait, you're the only one who's done that. . .I expect the rest of you to NOT follow Mr. Merquise' example!"

"Sir, I tripped Cadet Merquise, sir!"

"You, Cadet Noin?"

"Yes, sir, I was trying to teach him some moves and tripped him on accident, sir."

"Well. . .for that, the two of you klutzes can mop the cafeteria spotless after lunch and BEFORE training starts! Maybe it'll teach you the coordination to need! DISMISSED!"

"Noin, why did you cover for me? You weren't anywhere near me when I fell. . ."

"I don't want to spend the afternoon listening to Admiral Kaiser yack on about his experience in the wars. . .for the fifteenth time. . ."

"I see. . .so you used my idiocy to get out of class?"

"Someone's got to use it for something."

"Thanks, Noin. . .Noin. . ._Noin. . .you've always been there for me. . .whenever I made a mistake, you were right behind me to either take the blame or suffer with me. . .you never left me alone. . ._

"_How you've grown, Relena. . ._"

"Eh? _Oh... yes... Milliardo. You can't touch this girl... I've thrown away being a Peacecraft... Taken a weapon into my hands... and chosen the blood-stained path of revenge. . ._Are you all right, Princess?"

"Princess? If. . .I'm a princess. . .then you're. . .a knight astride a fearful dragon?"

"chuckle I'm the prince who fell from the stars. . .well then, if you'll excuse me. . ."

"Oh. . .the prince. . .from the stars. . .the stars. . ._the stars in her eyes. . .she seemed so infatuated by my presence. . .as if she almost knew. . .she was 11 then and yet. . .she was mature beyond her years. . .and I walked out of her life long before she could even remember me. . ._

"Then I will help you assist Relena to achieve peace and prosperity however I can."

"Noin, you don't have to. . ."

"Do you not want me to? If that's the case you can just say so, I won't feel hurt."

"No, that's not it. It's just that. . .it might be dangerous and I don't want you to risk your life for me."

"If I choose to risk my life for you I have every right to, you can't stop me."

"I don't want you to, I'm not worth it."

"You are to me. . .to me. . ._to me you're worth anything. . .even my life. . .oh, Noin. . .you're the one I want to fight with, to be with. . .to spend all eternity with. . .but how can I even think of asking you to stay with me when I don't deserve someone like you?_

"What makes you think that you don't deserve me, Zechs Merquise? You're an admirable man, you always helped those in trouble. . .you loved and watched over your sister everyday since I've truly known you. . .how can you forget that? How can you forget. . .the good memories? Zechs. . .Milliardo. . .come back to me. . .to us. . ."

"Noin? Noin, where are you? I can't. . .see you. . ."

"Milliardo, I'm right here, just reach out and take my hand. . .I'll lead you home. . ."

"Home. . .where is that?"

"Wherever we are. . ."

"Noin. . .Noin, I love you. . ."

"I know. . .come. . ." A hand reached into the darkness, delicate yet strong.

"I'm. . .I'm afraid I will let you down. . ."

"By giving in to your fears you're doing the very thing you're afraid of. . .just take my hand. . ." Milliardo reached out to her.

"Promise you won't let me fall?"

"I promise. . .now come on. . .the others are waiting. . ." With a smile, he took her hand. With a burst of light, Noin slowly faded into view and appeared before him, saying, "Hold on tight." Milliardo nodded and wrapped his arms around her. The light spread forth, swallowing the darkness and filling his heart with the blinding joy of his renewed love for life. . .for Noin. . .for Relena.

"Noin. . ." He whispered contently.

"Milliardo. . .Milliardo, wake up. . .Milliardo?" His eyes slowly flickered open and he stared up into Noin's deep indigo eyes, staring down at him with concern written on her face.

"Noin? What. . .happened. . ." He groggily sat up and Noin supported his back, saying, "I don't know, I came looking for you and found you unconscious in this locker room. . .are you alright?"

"So it was just a dream. . .or was it?" Milliardo whispered, staring at the floor for a second.

"Milliardo?" He looked up at her and smiled, saying, "I'm fine. . .everything's. . .alright now." She frowned for a second but let it go, helping him to his feet carefully.

"Rachel's been kidnapped by OZ and refuses any help I've tried to give her. Milliardo. . .Treize knows about us. . .he's questioning her as we speak. . ."

"We have to get her out of there, this could ruin everything! Come on!" Milliardo grabbed her hand and began to run out of the locker room. As Noin followed him out the door, she glanced back and saw a little boy standing at the edge of the lockers, smiling and waving goodbye.

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Huh? Was that. . .nah, it. . .couldn't be. . .could it?


	52. Chapter 52

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and. . .uh, people die. XD Enjoy! Oh, and if you don't understand German, just go to and it will translate it.

Chapter 52

"Relena-nnngh. . ." Heero felt a sharp pain course through his back, forcing him to lay back down. Like a dove, Relena floated to his side, gently resting her hand on his as she said, "Heero. . .lie still, you're badly hurt. . ."

"Relena. . ." He stared distantly into her eyes, slowly focusing into her ocean blue spheres, blinking ever so delicately as he licked his lips, whispering, "I had a dream. . ."

"A dream? About what?" Relena smiled, reaching up and threading her fingers through his hair carefully.

"You. . .and me. . ."

"And what were we doing?"

"Remember the time. . .you were walking in the rain and. . .I wanted you to get under cover. . ."

"Yes. . .of course I remember that, it wasn't long ago. . ."

"I can still remember the way you looked. . .so beautiful and young. . .the raindrops shimmering in your hair and flying away from you as you spun around freely, your arms spread out wide like a bird ready to take flight. I remember how your lips sparkled and you licked the water from them. . .your eyelashes dotted with dew like diamonds in your eyes, every facet catching the light from the cloudy sky. . .I thought you were naïve then. . .yet I was more so for not seeing the deeper meaning of the moment. You looked at me in the dream. . .you said. . .that I brought rain into your life. . .at first I thought it was a bad thing but. . .then I remembered what you had said to me about storms. 'It can cause magical things to happen and you wouldn't think to thank the rain for your happiness. . .If it weren't for rain there wouldn't be rainy days that you spend with friends or family, there wouldn't be movies with romantic scenes of couples meeting in a storm to confess their undying love for each other. . ."

"You remember that?" Relena seemed surprised.

"Of course, you said it. . .I can recap the entire conversation we had. . .but that's not the point. You were trying to tell me something that day. . .trying to inadvertently explain your feelings. . .I guess you might have hoped I wasn't as thick as you thought I was. . ."

"I guess my hopes were a bit high, eh? You did finally understand, though. . ."

"With Rachel's help. . .I don't know why but. . .she just made more sense to me and. . .I told her. . .everything I felt. . .that goes against everything I was taught. . .if it weren't for her, you and I might not be. . .together. . ."

"You might have dumped me off at my mansion and not even bothered to say goodbye or even, 'it wasn't you, it was me, babe'?" Relena said sarcastically, doing her best male voice for her line.

"Something like that. . .I almost imagine this all being a dream. I mean, since when do things like this happen?" Heero said, motioning to his wings. She giggled and said, "Everything lately has been like a dream. . .but you. . .you're more of a dream come true. . ."

"You're more of a fantasy come true than a dream. . ." Heero said, almost grinning. Relena made a face at his comment and said, leaning back in a sarcastic insulted manner, "Heero Yuy, it's improper to think of a lady in such a lusty manner!"

"How about a politician's daughter?" He started to lean toward her, his hand slipping behind her head.

"Is that all you think of me as?" She whispered, inching toward him, their lips almost touching.

"Yep. . ." He said with a grin, quickly kissing her before a complaint could be given. From the front door, Nate paused to cross his arms, leaning against the doorframe and shaking his head at the couple, thinking, _careful there, mate, you might end up cracking the fat on accident. . ._

"Nate! When did you get back?" Relena said, looking started as she pulled away from Heero who eyed Nate carefully. With a smirk, Nate swaggered into the house carrying a bag as he said, swinging it around slowly, "Got the stuff, sorry it took so long, got a flat on me bikey and had to stop off at Sue's servo to get a new tire."

"Sue? Mate of yours?" Relena asked, starting to catch onto the slang.

"Eh, we're close. . .not much of a lady but she's no rag. Always good for a free pumping."

"Hmm?" Heero cocked his eyebrow.

"Servo is a petrol station. . .wanker. . ." Nate said, frowning.

"I know what that means. . ." Heero's eyes narrowed at the man doing the same.

"Which term? Wanker?" Nate said, almost taunting him, knowing Heero wasn't capable of harming him, at the moment.

"Alright, you two, ease off! Pretty soon this poor house will explode from all the testosterone you're pumping out!" Relena said, becoming the mediator of the fight. Nate gave him one last lingering glance before walking off to the bathroom to store away his new supplies. Heero's upper lip twitched as he said, "Can we leave soon?"

"As soon as you're feeling better. . ." Relena sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm better already. . ." Heero said, trying to sit up but the pain nagging at his back again. He cursed under his breath and laid back down with a flop, staring up at the ceiling and saying, "Curse OZ, curse those stupid Japanese people, curse everything!"

"Easy there, mate, I wouldn't curse everything. Miss Relena there doesn't deserve such walloping!" Nate said, stepping into the room with what medical supplies he needed.

"I wasn't referring to her. . .just things in general. . ." Heero muttered.

"No worries, mate! You got a girl, most of your health, air in your lungs and love in your heart, what more do you need!"

"And I can take care of the health part. . .as long as I don't pass out. . ." Relena said, touching Heero's chest.

"Eh? Steady on!" Nate looked surprised.

"Relena, please don't do what I think you're going to do. . ." Heero grabbed her hand. She stared into his eyes and said, "Try to stop me." Suddenly, her body exploded with light and Heero gasped, his whole body jerking up as it was consumed by the radiance. Nate shielded his eyes as he exclaimed, "STRUTH!" Relena grunted and groaned, "I. . .I can't. . ."

"Av-a-go-yer-mug, mate!" Nate cheered her on, still not sure what she was doing.

"Heero. . .stop. . .fighting me. . .give in!" Relena gasped. Heero clenched his teeth, holding in a scream as his eyes were tightly squeezed shut. Nate grunted and leapt over to them, bringing up his fist and punching Heero in the gut.

"GAH!" Heero gasped, losing his concentration long enough for Relena to get in. With a flash, the light vanished and Heero fell back on the couch, gasping for air. Relena slumped back, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.

"You. . .you. . ." Heero searched for a name to call Nate but his mind was too scrambled to think too hard.

"Hey, just doing my part. . .now rack off! You've got some mates to save, if I'm not too nong to remember anything you've said." Nate said with a smirk, standing up. He helped Relena to her feet and she proceeded to slap him, saying, "That's for hitting my boyfriend! And this. . ." She gave him a hug, ". .is for helping me. Ta. . ."

"No worries, lass. . ." Nate smiling softly, hugging her back. They both let go and Relena helped Heero to his feet as Nate rubbed his cheek, saying, "Sheila has a good arm on her! Better watch yourself, mate. . ."

"Don't worry, I will. . ." Heero said, giving Nate a look before shaking his head and letting Relena help him out the door.

Stumbling, Trowa continued to the doors, leaning against them and pushing them open as he launched himself outside, beating his wings hard against the air to speed off toward the roaming mobile suits. He spotted one and blasted it with wind as he had the other, knocking it clear off its feet into a building, causing both to collapse under the stress. He winced, his back clenching up from the force of the attack. With a groan, he looked out over the city for other suits, using his powers to scan for their presence. He felt a group of them far off about a mile away from the hospital.

"Good. . .I'll make sure Alyssa's safe first then head over to take them out." Trowa said to himself. He flew back to the dingy white structure and landed about 40 feet from the front door, stumbling as he walked toward the hospital. As he reached the doors, Alyssa came running out, yelling, "DAVID!"

"Huh?" Trowa looked confused as she grabbed him and tackled him to the ground. A shot broke the air followed by a cry and a splatter of blood as they fell. Trowa's eyes widened and looked for the sniper, spotting a man by a broken mobile suit. In a fit of rage, he threw his hand in his direction and the man exploded, entrails scattering everywhere across the dusty ground. Panting, Trowa shifted Alyssa's limp form off of him and sat up, holding her in his arms.

"D. . .David. . ."Alyssa clutched his shirt tightly, blood dripping from her back as she coughed, blood coming up from her lungs.

"Alyssa, no, why. . ." Trowa stared at her, shocked almost speechless by her moment of selflessness.

"I. . .couldn't let you die. . .David. . ." She coughed violently and he tightened his hold on her, trying to calm her shaking.

"Alyssa. . .my name's not David. . .it's Trowa. . ." Trowa said quietly. "I'm sorry I lied to you. . ."

"T. . .Trowa. . .you said you would. . .do anything for me. . ." Her voice was getting weak.

"Yes, yes I did. . ."

"Will you. . ."

"What? Anything. . ." He felt her grip loosening as her face paled, her eyes glazing over slowly.

"Take. . .care of my. . .sister. . .she's. . .precious to me. . ."

"I will. . .Alyssa. . .thank you." She coughed, tears inching down her cheek as she sniffed, saying, "Please. . .don't. . .let go. . ."

"I won't. . ." He held her closer, hugging her shivering torso close against his chest, listening to her heartbeat. Thump thump. . .thump thump. . .thump. . .thump. . .thump. . . . .

"Alyssa. . .I promise. . ." He hugged her one last time before slowly picking her up, carrying her lifeless form back into the hospital. He walked over to the reception desk and laid her down, gently resting her head on the marble floor. Brushing back her hair, he softly kissed her forehead, leaning back and getting to his feet. He took one last glance at her white face before turning and running off down the hall, searching for her sister. He explored all the way up to the third floor before finding any signs of life. He heard a soft sob echo through the hallway and walked slowly toward the source, resting his hand on a hospital room door and pushing it open. He peeked into the room and first saw a bloody hand laying on the floor, attached to one of the bodies strung across the floor. His heart began to beat faster as he wondered if this was Alyssa's family: a man, woman, and young boy. . .but where was the girl? He heard a scuff on the floor and looked around the door, seeing a round shadow under the bed. Stepping into the room, he made his way around the carnage and crouched by the bed, peeking under to see a little girl balled up underneath.

"Hello. . .are you Alyssa's sister?" He said to the little girl. She just stared at him, fear showing enough to make her shake. He tried as best he could to be nice, slowly reaching a hand out to her and saying, "Come on out. . .I'm here to protect you." She didn't seem quite convinced, inching away from him. He softened his face and smiled, saying in a gentle tone, "Please. . .it's not safe here. . .I will take care of you, I promise." Finally, she stretched out a hand cautiously, taking his and letting him pull her out. He scooped her up into his arms, shielding her eyes from the sight of her family on the floor.

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I'm sure she was here when It happened but she doesn't need to see it again. . .no one should have to see this. . .He thought, stepping out into the hallway and looking around to make sure no one was hiding behind the shadows. He started walking toward the stairs to leave the building when the girl whispered quietly, "Meine Kopf owie. . ."

__

She only speaks German. . .I guess I'll have to figure out what she's saying then. . .He looked down and saw a gash across her head, blood beginning to soak her already red hair. He stopped and touched it with his hand, quickly healing the wound and getting a whimper out of her.

"It's alright, it shouldn't hurt anymore. . .what's your name?" He asked in a sweet voice, opening the door leading to the stairwell. She looked confused as she said, "Ich weiß nicht. . ."

__

That doesn't sound like a name, maybe she can't remember. I guess she understands some English. . .she must if her sister spoke it. . .He began to step down the first flight of stairs as he talked to her.

"Can you remember? Remember?" He motioned to his head and then pointed to her, "Name?"

"Nein. . ." She moaned and clutched his shirt, curling up in his arms and hiding her face against his chest.

__

I know nein means no. . .hmmm, amnesia. . .what should I call her? Trowa thought. He remembered what Alyssa had said before she died and said, pointing to her, "How about. . .I call you. . .Precious? You. . .your name. . .is Precious."

"O.K.. . ." She sniffed and closed her eyes.

"Precious it is then. . ."

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Precious. . .that's what you are. . .Trowa thought, feeling her breath evening out as she fell asleep.

"I'm trying to find her again but for some reason I can't seem to find her anywhere. Maybe she's blocking my powers. . ." Noin said as her and Milliardo stood on the lush green lawn outside the Sanc Kingdom mansion.

"Why would she do that? Does she want to be there?" Milliardo said, frowning as his own powers came up with no results. A light wind swept past them, rustling their hair and cooling them, their faces dotted with perspiration as they worried about Rachel. Noin turned to him and said, "Milliardo. . .what do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do, she's accepted her own fate and stated very clearly she doesn't want any help. We should keep to the mission and finish off all of OZ on Earth before they do anymore damage than they have."

"You're right. . .how far have you gotten here?" Noin asked. Milliardo looked away and said, "Actually. . .I haven't left the mansion since the mission started. . ." Noin frowned, saying, "Why, what happened?"

"It's a long story. We have to go now, who knows what's happened since I was. . .distracted. . .I'll go north, you go south and we'll meet back here when we're done."

"Right. See you again. . .soon." Noin said, turning to go. Grabbing her arm, Milliardo pulled her back and said, "Noin. . ." His lips pressed against hers deeply, a warm chill running through both their bodies. Breaking, Noin gasped, "Y. . .yes?"

"Be careful. . ." He whispered, touching her lower lip with his finger, letting it slowly fall across it. She smiled and nodded, gently breaking from his hold and expanding her wings. They both took to the air and flew off to fight the OZ presence in Eastern Europe. 2 hours later, Noin finished off the last standing Taurus in Göteborg, Sweden, pausing to look over the grassy hills waving to her in the distance.

"This is the last of them, I should head back to the Sanc Kingdom and meet up with Milliardo. . ." Noin said to herself, turning from the pile of metal. As she looked up to the sky to take off, she saw a white flash on the horizon.

__

What's that? It's. . .wings. . .is it Milliardo? Maybe he finished before me. . .Noin wondered as she waited for the figure to draw closer for her to distinguish who it was. But by the dark colored hair she guessed it wasn't him.

"Trowa? What. . ." She frowned and walked in his direction. She climbed the hill by her battlefield and met him as he landed, but a little squeal from his shoulders startled her. He set down a little red-haired girl and she ran off, running around in the tall grasses and giggling.

"Don't wander too far, Precious!" Trowa called out to her. She waved back to him with a grin and saw a butterfly, chasing after it. Trowa kept his eye on her as Noin said, "Trowa. . .where'd the girl come from?"

"Germany. . .I promised her sister that I'd take care of her. . ."

"What happened to her sister?" Trowa's face melted into a sad expression and Noin looked over at the girl, saying, "Oh. . ."

"Yeah. . ." He said quietly. They both watched the girl for a minute as she romped around and slowly made her way back to Trowa's side. She flopped against his leg and hugged it, looking up with a broad smile. Trowa let his hand rest on her head, gently petting her hair as he smiled down at her. He closed his eyes and said quietly, "I was thinking. . .of adopting her. . .since she's alone now. . .it'd be a fair match, both of us lacking a family. Don't you think?"

"Trowa. . .this is a big step. . .are you sure you're ready for such a thing? And being single doesn't help the matter. . ."

"I know. . .but she needs someone to take care of her, permanently. I gave Alyssa my word and I intend to stick to it. If I didn't. . .I'd be no better than OZ. . ." Noin stared at Trowa for a minute, suddenly realizing how grown up he really was, other than looking older he was becoming very mature. She finally smiled and said, resting her hand on his shoulder, "You would make a great father. . ." He looked up at her and said, "Really. . .you. . .think so?"

"Yes. . .you've grown fond of her already. . ." Noin pointed out his maternal instincts forming already. He chuckled and said, "Yes. . .How could I not, she's adorable. . ." Picking her up, he rested her on his hip and held her securely, letting her play with his bangs while he said, "Precious, this is Noin, she's my friend."

"Halo. . ." Precious waved shyly, tucking away in Trowa's shirt. Noin laughed softly and rubbed Precious' back, saying in a sweet tone, "Hello, Precious. I'd love to stay and get to know you but I have to meet someone."

"Where are you going?" Trowa asked seriously.

"I met up with Milliardo earlier and we agreed to meeting back at the Sanc Kingdom mansion after our missions were completed."

"I'll come with you, my mission was completed a while ago. Haven't you two met up with Rachel yet?"

"Well. . .yes and no. . .I'll explain on the way, come on." Noin said. Trowa put Precious on his shoulders again and said, "Hold on tight!" As he held onto her legs, making sure she wouldn't fall off. She giggled as he took off and they all headed for the meeting place.


	53. Chapter 53

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and…let's see…rereads her story to see what she should disclaim Oh, I still don't claim to know anything about Indian tradition…and…I don't like Treize so that's why I did what I did in the story…XD

Chapter 53

"Sayla, are you coming? Please hurry up before your sisters decide to give me a sponge bath!" Quatre called out, keeping an eye on the Indian women giggling and chattering away as they milled about and glanced at him. One ran into the room with a bucket of water and a rag, calling to the others and then pointing to him. He swallowed hard and began to sweat, saying with a squeak, "Please?" He heard a jingle and turned to see a beautiful girl walk out, white veils flowing around her and dancing as she floated to him. He blinked in surprise and said, "S. . .Sayla? Aren't those-"

"I know, come on!" She said, grabbing his hand taking off toward the front door while shouting commands to her sisters. They stopped in the middle of the Town Square for a breather, Quatre gasping mainly because his heart was already racing before the mad dash.

"Why. . .are you wearing. . .ceremonial veils? Who's getting. . .married?" Quatre asked, knowing the style of clothing from living with the Maganacs so long.

"You know your traditions pretty well but not the language. . .how odd. . ." Sayla giggled, walking around slowly as she waited for him to catch his breath.

"Well, I used to live with the Maganacs when I was younger, off and on I would visit because my father lived on the Colonies and my home was mainly there. I was taught a lot of the customs by my friends, Rashid was my role model, even if he is over 6 feet tall!" They laughed and Sayla said, "These. . .Maganacs. . .are they Indian too?"

"Mostly, they're Arabian. . .if that makes a difference. I believe Abdul is Indian. . .Auda might be too. . .I don't know about Ahmad. . ." Quatre would have went on but Sayla interrupted and said, "You have a lot of friends, Quatre Winner. . .I envy you." With a smile, he said, "I don't know where I would be without my friends! Most likely dead. . .in this war you can't get very far without allies backing you up."

"Then remind me to thank your friends when I meet them. . ." Sayla grinned. With a blush, Quatre said, "Well, I'm all better now, probably should be heading out there to fight the last signs of OZ in the region. . ." Sayla stepped up to him and said, "Not without me, you don't!"

"Of course not. . .you can help get the civilians to safety so they're out of harm's way and far from the battle."

"Right! Now. . .do you have some sort of vehicle for going from place to place?"

"Nothing but my wings and the wind beneath them. I'll have to carry you, if that's alright?" Quatre put out his arms. She nodded and let him pick her up, wrapping her arms around his neck as he said, "Hold on tight!" With a sharp flap, he took to the air and soared high into the sky, catching a strong wind current and riding it while he searched for the next place to fight.

"Wow. . ." Sayla whispered, looking down at the distant land spread out far below them. Quatre broke his concentration and said, "What?"

"Look at it. . .it's so beautiful from up here. . .birds are so blessed to be able to see this everyday. . ." Sayla said passionately, sighing at the splendor of it all. Quatre smiled and thought to himself, _Funny. . .that's what I thought the first day I was here for Operation Meteor. . .maybe she's. . ._

"Quatre?"

"Hmm?" He broke his train of thought and looked into her eyes.

"What are you thinking?"

"What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?" He blinked in confusion.

"No. . .you're just. . .smiling an awful lot."

"Oh. . .I was just thinking about the first time I visited alone. . .hey, I've spotted some mobile suits to the west, let's go check it out!"

"Okay. . ." Sayla said, still keeping an eye on him.

__

What was he thinking about? I wonder. . .Sayla thought as she held on tight for the ride.

"I'll ask you one last time, where are the other rebels!" Une shouted impatiently at Rachel, pacing back and forth like an unsettled lion. With no response, Rachel looked up distantly and half-stared at Une. With a growl, Une raised her hand to strike her, saying, "Speak!"

"That'll be enough, Colonel Une." Treize caught her hand and startled her. She shrank back and bowed her head, saying, "Yes, sir. . ." Treize turned to the unsteady girl being questioned and eased his expression into a serious stare, saying in a stern tone, "This interrogating won't end until you say something. . .I don't know how you refused the influence of the truth serum but it will only delay the inevitable."

"I will. . .tell you but. . .you'll have to come a little closer." Rachel whispered almost inaudibly. She swayed slowly, her head hanging down almost in her lap as she moaned. Treize stepped up to her and knelt in front of her, seeing no threat in a drugged, bound girl. Struggling to raise her head again, she mumbled something under her breath. Leaning closer, Treize was just inches from her as she looked into his eyes and said, "It's called magic, same as this." Quickly, she forced her lips onto his and pulled her arms loose, pulling him even closer with her hands.

"COMMANDER TREIZE!" Une screamed, running toward them to get him free from her. He barely struggled, falling limp and collapsing to the floor when she let go of him. With a lazy wipe of her fingers over her lips, she stood, putting out her hand and sending Une flying back against the wall with a thud.

"Watch yourself. . .or you'll be the next to feel 'the kiss of death'. . ." Rachel said, staring down first the Colonel and then the others in the room watching on in horror.

"Death? You. . .you couldn't have!" Une yelled in shock, looking down at the lifeless form at Rachel's feet.

"I'd thank him for the energy boost but it's a bit impossible at the moment. Lady Une. . .you'll have to excuse me but I have a world to save. . ." Rachel bowed and stepped over Treize's body, walking over to her and touching her cheek with a soft smile.

__

Th. . .that's the way Treize smiles at me. . .Une thought, nervously staring back at Rachel. With a gentle touch, she withdrew her hand and walked out of the room. Stopping at the door, she turned and said, "Oh, and I would evacuate the building if I were you, everything's about to blow up." A sudden surge of energy broke from her body, knocking everyone down with its force as it expanded out and disappeared beyond the walls. She vanished soon after and Une fell to the floor, quickly being joined by a soldier who stooped to help her up. She pushed him aside and ran to Treize, rolling him over and touching his chest, shaking as she screamed, "Commander, Treize, wake up! WAKE UP! NOOO! Get a doctor, NOW!" Soldiers ran around frantically, one running up to her side holding a radio and saying, "Colonel, every mobile suit on the base has activated its self destruct system, the technicians give them a minute before they'll explode! Ma'am, what are your orders? Ma'am? Colonel!" Une stared blankly at the floor as she whispered, "Evacuate. . .now. . ."

"Hola, I am a friend, I have come to help you." Duo said to the elders of the little girl's village.

"Soy un amigo, yo he venido ayudarle." One of the men translated that knew English.

"The organization named OZ has invaded and I am here to stop them."

"El organización nombrada OZ ha invadido y estoy aquí pararlos."

"¿Usted está pidiendo nuestra ayuda?" One of the elders said in a deep, gravely voice. Duo looked to his translator and he said, "He asks if you request our aid."

"Oh. . .not if you are unarmed. . ." Duo shrugged.

"No si somos desarmados. Señor, debemos ayudarle, lucha para nuestro país!" The man said to the elders.

"¿Han invadido nuestros hogares, destruidos nuestra tierra, y esperan que los obedezcamos¡Le ensamblaremos, señor¡Consiga a sus juegos móviles, cada uno, nadie empujes nosotros alrededor!" The elder rose to his feet and shouted to the people gathered around listening, getting the crowd riled up. Duo blinked in confusion and the translator turned to him, saying with a determined and excited tone, "Señor, we will join you! OZ has pushed us around too much, now we fight!"

"Alright! I'll lead you to them! Come on!" Duo said, getting excited by their enthusiasm. The little girl started to run to join the others and Duo grabbed her, saying, "Hey, you need to stay here, kiddo! This is big people business!"

"It wasn't long ago you were little, ya know. . ." Duo turned and met the eyes of his beloved.

"Rachel! You're already done?" Duo excitedly hugged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I was done a while ago. . .just had some business to take care of before I came to help you." Rachel said, smiling and looking down at the confused girl. She kneeled by her and said, " Usted es joven, usted debe permanecer aquí."

"You speak Spanish?" Duo said, looking surprised.

"¡Edad no tiene cualquier cosa hacer con talento¡Si puedo traer un ángel del cielo puedo luchar con los otros!" The girl yelled, pointing to the confused Duo.

"She managed to take you down, Duo? A little girl?" Rachel looked amused. Duo frowned as he said, "She jumped on me and started choking me in the middle of the air, what was I suppose to do, just throw her off?"

"Whatever. . .let's go finish off the last bit of OZ influence in the area. . ." Rachel laughed, standing and patting the girl on the head. Duo rolled his eyes and opened his wings, taking off and flying off to head the fleet of suits gathering to meet the OZ's fleet. Rachel flew up behind him, sidling up next to him and soaring through the sky as the troops followed them to the fight.

"Are you okay, Rach? You seem a little. . .distant." Duo said, looking over at his partner to find her staring off into space. She blinked and glanced over at him, giving Duo a reassuring smile and saying, "Oh, I'm fine, just thinking about the others. I wonder if they're almost done yet. . ."

"I hope so. . .what would we do while we wait for them to finish?" Duo grinned.

"Help them?" Rachel said sarcastically, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh fine. . .look, there they are!" Duo pointed to the east and she looked, seeing the glint of armor hiding amongst the shrubbery of the forest.

"Are you sure?" Rachel didn't seem convinced. After the last time they ambushed her she wasn't so sure anymore. They floated by the Panama Canal, their reflection playing off the blocks of water. Rachel looked down at the calm surfaces and said, "What. . .kind of mobile suits did you feel, Duo?"

"Huh? I dunno. . .why?"

"Get away from the canal!" Rachel yelled, repeating it in Spanish for the others to understand as she pushed Duo back just in time to avoid a missile.

"What the-they're hiding down there! Then what was-" Duo stammered, a little uneasy by his close run with death.

"It was a decoy, they're down there! Cancer and Pisces!" Rachel aimed her hands to the water and the surface bubbled, an explosion of water erupting with a Pisces caught up in the flow. It flew into the air and crashed down on the ground by the canal, its pilot no doubt shook up from the disturbing ride.

"¡Ataque¡Ataque!" Rachel shouted, diving down to join in the assault.

"Rachel, why don't we 'dry up' these pests?" Duo yelled to her, winking with a mischievous grin. She smiled back and nodded, flying out over the locks of water with Duo going the opposite way. They stopped four locks apart and both pointed their hands at the water, slowly raising their hands and causing all the contents to float up into the air, forming into a giant river over the gated passage through Panama. The mobile suits sat on the bottoms of the dry blocks, trapped in the deep locks and vulnerable to attack. Quickly, the villagers gathered around the canal, aiming their weapons at the pilots.

"Come out with your hands up and surrender, we have you outnumbered!" Rachel shouted from her spot far above the battle scene. The pilots slowly crawled out, raising their arms in defeat as the villagers shouted and cheered for their victory.

"Alright, let's get those guys out of there and put back the Panama Canal. . ." Duo said with a grin. Rachel nodded and lowered a hand to them, floating the men and their mobile suits up onto the land to be captured. They let the water settle back into the locks and flew down to the villagers who cheered and congratulated each other.

"¡Ganamos¡Y es todas las gracias a usted!" The little girl shouted as she ran up to Rachel who putted her up and gave her a hug.

"Oh, I don't think it was all our doing that bought the victory. . .usted es buen piloto, pequeña!" Rachel said, smiling sweetly. The girl giggled and wiggled out of her arms, running to a man coming toward her, saying, "Padre, Padre!"

"Maria!" The man scooped her up and hugged her, waving to Rachel and Duo and turning to join the others.

"Well, looks like our job's done here. . ." Duo said, walking up to Rachel and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She rested her head against his as he purred in her ear.

"This was the last band of OZ soldiers in South America?"

"Yep. . .now what?" Duo cooed. Rachel giggled and said, "What with you?"

"I missed you. . .you know what it's like being on a whole mission alone and not understanding a single word anyone says?"

"Nope. . .I'm sure it's annoying. . ." She tickled his cheek and he chuckled, giving her a squeeze. Letting go, he faced her and said, "Do you think the others are done?"

"I don't know, let's find out, shall we?"

"Okay! Who do we join first?"

"Let me see where the most people are. . ." Rachel closed her eyes and focused in on everyone's bearings. "Milliardo, Noin, and Trowa are together in the Sanc Kingdom with. . .a little girl. . ."

"Eh? Where'd she come from?" Duo blinked in confusion.

"Let's find out, come on." Rachel said, taking his hand and teleporting to the mansion.

"Milliardo! I'm glad you're alright!" Relena said as she appeared by the group outside the Sanc mansion.

"Relena! What are you doing here?" Milliardo was surprised by her sudden appearance.

"Relena!" Precious chided in cheerfully, giggling as she bounced up and down.

"Do I know you?" She said to the little girl. Trowa walked up to Precious and put his arm around her as she hugged his leg.

"No, and she doesn't speak English. . .yet. She can't remember her real name so I've been calling her Precious." Trowa said quietly, slowly stroking her red mop of hair.

"Well. . .what does she speak?"

"Trowa schützen mich!" Precious chirped, giving them a broad smile.

"German?" Heero muttered, recognizing the accent.

"Can you understand her?" Relena asked.

"She said 'Trowa protect me'. . .if I'm not mistaken." Duo walked up to join the group as well.

"Rachel! How did you get free!" Noin gasped as her friend walked up.

"It's. . .a long story. Let's just say that Chang won't be getting his revenge on Treize anytime soon. . ." Rachel said dully. Everyone blinked in confusion and Milliardo's eyes widened as he said quietly, "You. . .killed him?" She looked down and everyone seemed to gasp at once, except Heero who just blinked.

"How did you do that?" Heero asked curiously.

"I don't wanna talk about it, no doubt Une will be looking to find revenge so we better regroup fast. Have you been in contact with Quatre or Chang?" Rachel said, changing the subject.

"No and I'm getting worried. . .I hope he's okay. . ." Trowa said, looking concerned.

"I'm sure Chang's having a ball defeating the weaklings over in China. . ." Duo said, crossing his arms.

"Maybe we should check in on them." Relena suggested.

"I think we have more pressing matters on our hands at the moment. . ." Milliardo said, his eyes glowing a pale blue.

"Milliardo? What's wrong?"

"It's Une. . .she's gone postal. . ."


	54. Chapter 54

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing but, just in case I forgot to mention earlier, Asuka Ling is mine, as is Sayla and Precious. And of course the stories aren't real but it's fun to pretend, right? Sorry to all WufeiXSally fans out there, but it's not gonna happen in this story. . .I really don't think it really happened in the show but…hey, that's just my opinion. You can like them if you want, more power to ya! Remember. . .it's fiiicctttiiooonnn. . .not reeeeaaaalll. . .so just reeeaaaaddd iiiittt. . .XD

Chapter 54

"AAIEEYAAHH!" Asuka leapt onto the mobile suit stalking her, quickly climbing up to the head and digging out its circuits from the back of its neck. It staggered blindly about before tripping over a previously defeated suit and joining it on the ground, falling flat on its stomach and trapping the pilot inside. Proudly standing on its back, Asuka held her head high, her Chinese dress flapping in the breeze and revealing her long legs, her daggers shimmering against her thighs.

"There's something sensual about a women in a revealing dress fighting like a wild cat. . ." Chang muttered to himself, watching her skirt rustle in the wind. She stared at the "angel", shouting, "Ecchi, are you done yet?"

"When will you stop calling me that!" Chang yelled back indignantly.

"When you stop staring at my skirt." She grinned sarcastically.

"It's your own fault for wearing a slutty dress in a battle."

"You come down here and say that again, Wufei!" She threatened, violently shaking a dagger at him. He merely laughed and said, "This fight is finished, there're no more to fight." He landed nearby and flapped his wings proudly.

"So where now? I'm still ready to fight!" She said, even though she was getting tired.

"My mission is finished, I have to report back now." He said simply, turning to go. Asuka jumped down, racing over to him as she said, "Report back? You work with someone?"

"A group, and only for the moment until the war is over." Asuka burst out laughing, putting her hands on her hips as she said, "HA, you'll be with them for a while. . ."

"For a day at least. . .until the last mobile suit falls to ruin and all is put to rest." Chang said, a serious look on his face.

"You really think you can end this? Nearly a century of warfare? It's been going on for as long as I can remember. . .my parents died because of it as have many others, you can't stop a war by taking away their toys! Anger and revenge has fueled this war and kept it going. . ."

"This war is like a game of Janga, remove just the right pieces and everything falls, all the pieces end up in the same pile. . .they'll be searching for some sort of safety, revenge would be the last thing on their minds."

"If you do it just right, but what can you do to bring everyone together? It's impossible!"

"I'm merely the soldier. . .someone else has the glue to put everything back together."

"But what about us? Where will we go after the war?"

"I suppose. . .we move on. . ." Chang said, not sounding like he took to his own words.

"Move on? To what! My life revolves around this battle, if it dies, I die!" Asuka shouted.

"Asuka. . .we have no choice. . ."

"You can run away like a whimpering dog but I'm not going to roll over for some pious politician promoting mythical peace!" Chang cocked an eyebrow, walking toward her.

"You can't get enough of it. . ." Chang said, sounding amused.

"Of what?" Asuka looked at him like he was an idiot, crossing her arms impatiently.

"War. . .the adrenaline rush you get when you fight an enemy, the satisfaction of proving your further dominance over weak men. . .you're addicted."

"And you're not? You can't tell me our 'playtime' earlier didn't give you some degree of. . .pleasure. . ." Asuka teased, walking around Chang, running her fingers over his arms briefly as they wandered up and across his shoulders. He tensed and said monotonely, "I don't find getting kneed and cut 'appealing'. . ."

"And that's all you remember? What about when you were. . .pinning me down." She ran her hands down his back and snaked them under his arms and over his chest seductively.

"I felt nothing. . ." He answered coldly. She ran her palms slowly over the silky smooth material of his shirt, feeling his muscles tense up underneath her touch. He growled and said, "Stop that."

"Stop what. . .this?" She sharply dug her nails into his chest and grinned.

"YES!" He grabbed her hands and pulled her away, holding tightly to her as she writhed violently. He looked deep into her eyes and she stopped fighting, staring back blankly. He slowly released her and turned away, saying, "You remind me so much of Meiran. . ." Frowning, she turned him back, slapping him hard.

"Stop comparing me to your dead wife! My name is Asuka, I'm not Meiran! I'm NOT!" Asuka screamed just before looking shocked, turning away quickly. Chang blinked in confusion and said quietly, "Why the sudden offense?"

"Nevermind, I didn't say anything. . ." She muttered harshly, starting to walk away.

"Asuka!" Chang called to her sternly. She stopped in mid step and said, trying to sound tough, "What!"

"Will you come with me. . ."

"Why should I!" She asked snidely, crossing her arms.

"I'm asking you to come, you can go your own way but. . ." He hesitantly stepped up to her, easing his shaky hand toward her but dropping it to his side, looking away.

"What reason do I have to come? The war's ending. . .I'll just disappear into the world and live out the rest of my life. . ."

"Alone?"

"What choice do I have." Her voice was almost lost on the wind. Chang crossed his arms and said, "Well, like you said, there's never complete peace in the world. . ."

"What are you suggesting?"

"For there to be some degree of peace their must be someone to maintain the order, take out any troublemakers before they can do anything. . ."

"And. . .who's going to do that?"

"I would have nothing better to do and. . .I'm only one person, I can't be everywhere. . ."

"And? You're asking me. . .what exactly?" She turned, crossing her arms sarcastically and staring at him with fake expectancy.

__

She's really enjoying this. . .ugh, I hate asking for help. . .Chang shifted his stance and looked around uneasily, muttering, "I. . .nuhyuhep. . ."

"What was that? Sorry, I couldn't quite hear you. . ." She raised her eyebrows, amused by his fidgeting. He growled and said loudly, "I need help! FINE, I said it!"

"What's this? The great Chang Wufei 'of the Dragon Clan' is asking mefor help? Well, I just might cry. . .look, a tear." She sniffed and wiped at her eye dramatically. With a huff of disgust, he turned and said indignantly, "If you're going to make fun of me for being honest then fine, I don't need you! I can do just fine by myself, goodbye!" He started to walk away but Asuka grabbed his arm, pulling him back and quickly pulling his head down to her, their lips locking in a steamy, passionate kiss. Her fingers ran wildly through his hair and his arms locked around her waist, pulling her closer with every passing second. With a gasp, she broke for his eager lips and stared deeply into his eyes, her mouth gaping as he inched toward her again, feeling her breath on his lips.

"Wufei. ..you're a great kisser. . .for a soldier. Have much. . .practice?" Asuka said airily, her chest heaving with every breath taken in desperately.

"No. . .I've never kissed a woman before you. . ." He answered, a slight moan in his voice, his lips beginning to gently explore her skin. With a gasp, she clenched a lock of his hair in her fist, pressing against him and breathing in his ear.

"What about. . .your precious Meiran?"

"Why do you hate her so much? Did you know her?" Chang slowly bit down on her shoulder, provoking another gasp from her lips.

"Yes!" She cried suddenly, pulling back on his hair.

"AH!" He exclaimed, his head forced back sharply. Asuka pushed her body away from his and turned, her face hidden from view. She slowly hugged her arms as she closed her eyes, letting the wind dry her tears. Completely lost, Chang rubbed his head trying to soothe the pain in his scalp.

"Who is Meiran to you! Rival? Mentor? What? It must be something!" Chang said, frowning angrily.

"She's my sister. . ." Asuka whispered.

"Your. . .sister? But. . ." Chang stared wide-eyed at her back.

"Three years ago, when I was about her age, my father forced me to marry this pompous boy from the Falcon Clan. . .their clan was a rival of ours and he wanted to use me as a peace gift to them. Well, I wouldn't have it, I couldn't waste my life with that fool so. . .I ran away. I was banished for my rash behavior and stripped of the family name forever, forbidden to ever set foot on their land ever again. They forgot me, erased any signs of my being the eldest and pasted the marital duties on to my younger sister. . .Meiran. She was only 12, I couldn't let her suffer in my place with that. . .snob as her husband! So, I did the only thing I could. . .I killed him. Of course, without an heir, the clan diminished into the mountains before my clan was banished to Colony A0206. I was trapped, separated from my family so I could never see them again. It wasn't till last year when I heard of their deaths that I took up arms and began to fight OZ. I hate them so for killing my family, my sister. . .everything I loved! That is why I fight. . .to hold onto my family's honor, even if I have been a dishonorable outcast. . .I must take revenge on my sister's murder, Treize must DIE for what he did!"

"Get in line. . ." Chang said miserably. She turned and stared at him, saying, "You want his blood too?"

"I lost a wife because of him. . .AND he took away my pride by defeating me in battle. . .at my own game of sword fighting no less!"

"How embarrassing for you. . ." Asuka said, not sounding amused. Chang narrowed his eyes for a second, about to explode when he saw the misery on her face as she kept her eyes on him. He frowned sadly and said, "That's why. . .you knew so much about them. . .the Dragon Clan. . .because you used to be one yourself. . .but, I don't understand. . .how could they banish you, just because you refused to marry an idiot?"

"I embarrassed my father. . .made him look like a fool. Meiran always wanted to please father, fighting to become the strongest so she could defend them from harm. . .I still love her, though. At least she had the sense to know her place."

"That's. . .not entirely true. . .she kept trying to boss me around. . ." Chang said, looking down in shame.

"Well, for good reason, I'm sure! You're a disgrace! I mean, fighting a woman, where's your honor, man!" Asuka said, throwing her arms up in disgust. They met gazes for a second, their faces melting into a similar sadness. Chang sighed, stepping closer to Asuka and saying in a gentle voice, "It seems we've both been hurt by the same incident. . ."

"Yeah. . ." Asuka said, hugging her arms again and looking at the ground.

"Asuka. . .will you. . .please join me? You know it's this war that causes tragedies such as our lives to happen. . .don't let them keep killing and bringing about more like us. . .help me stop them."

"Chang. . .I. . .I'll do what I can." Asuka said, looking up with tears in her eyes. Chang swallowed a lump forming in his throat and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She didn't move at first, frozen by her tears as she whispered, "It's what Meiran would have wanted. . ."

"It's. . .what she would have done. . ." Chang whispered back, bowing his head to rest on hers as a single tear slowly rolled down his cheek.

"Everybody, get down!" Sayla yelled out as she led civilians to safety and away from the fight carrying on just feet away. A mobile suit sped over their heads as they fell to their hands and knees, gasping and screaming in shock as the machine crashed into the building they were running for.

"Sorry! Go that way!" Quatre yelled to them, fending off another mobile suit coming for him. As he took it down, the remainder suits suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.

"What's going on?" Sayla whispered as she stared over his shoulder at the frozen attackers. In unison, they started their booster rockets and flew away from the town, disappearing over the sand dunes. Quatre returned to Sayla's side, a little confused by their sudden departure. She ran to him and said, "Quatre, what happened?"

"I don't know, something weird is going on. I think it's time to regroup, come on." Quatre said, grabbing Sayla's hand. She barely had time to wave to the crowd before she was ripped across the world to the Sanc Kingdom, blinking in shock. Looking around, she saw a group of people having a conversation, which quickly came to a stop as they appeared.

"Quatre, you're alright!" Relena exclaimed first, running up to him to give him a hug. Sayla stepped aside and humbly bowed her head, glancing at the others who looked her over in curiosity.

"Quatre. . ." Trowa stepped forward, Precious sitting on his hip snoozing on his shoulder.

"Trowa! Who's the cute little girl?" Quatre asked sweetly, walking over to have a better look.

"Her name's Precious, she doesn't speak English, though, so I'm warning you now. . .I don't even know what she says. . ." Trowa said. Hearing her name, Precious woke and sleepily looked around saying, "Daddy?" Trowa heard Duo snicker and he glanced over his shoulder at him. Sighing, he rolled his eyes as he said, "But Duo understands. . .he seems to be the only one that understands German. Go figure. . ."

"German, huh? She looks more Irish than German with the red hair. . .aren't most Germans blonde?" Quatre asked, petting her hair and making silly noises. Precious squealed happily and grabbed Quatre's nose, pulling back and cradling her hand away from view.

"She's got your nose. . ." Trowa said with a smile.

"Not really, Colonel Une is German and she's a brunette. Blonde is a more Swedish and Scandinavian trait. . ." Rachel said knowingly.

"And her name's Precious?" Quatre chuckled, tickling her to get his nose back, causing quite an uproar to ensue.

"Yeah. . .well, that's not her real name but she can't remember anything. . ." Trowa answered over the 3 year old's giggles.

"She's so adorable!" Quatre laughed. He gasped and said suddenly, "Oh, I'm so rude! Everyone, this is Sayla. . ." He quickly ran over to the quiet Indian and took her arm in his, leading her over to the group.

"And we weren't invited to the wedding?" Heero said sarcastically, noticing her obviously ceremonial gown. Quatre began to sweat as he said, "What! No, we're not married!"

"This was all my sisters' doing, not my idea." Sayla added.

"Exactly! Besides, I barely know her." Quatre laughed nervously.

"We just met earlier today!"

"I saved her life."

"He saved my life!" They both laughed and everyone cocked their eyebrows, glancing at each other in amusement.

"O. . .kay then. . .well, did you remember to finish your mission before you. . .saved her life?" Duo asked, not buying the whole act.

"Not exactly. . .that's why I came back here." Quatre said, becoming serious.

"What happened?" Heero asked.

"Well, I was about to finish off the last of them when they all stopped and ran away. I didn't think I was that intimidating. . ." Quatre said, scratching his head.

"It's not you. . .don't worry. . .I don't think you could intimidate the Pope. . ." Duo mumbled.

"What?"

"It was most likely Une's doing. She's a little. . .how do you say. . ." Rachel said.

"Angry?" Milliardo said.

"psychotic?" Duo suggested.

"That too. . .Treize's dead." Rachel finished.

"What! When? How?" Quatre exclaimed.

"Earlier today. . .with a kiss. . ." Rachel said shyly.

"Of death, no doubt. . ." Sayla said, looking surprised.

"Hey Duo, looks like she's becoming more and more like you everyday! Shinigami and his girlfriend, Shiniai!" Heero joked. Duo gave him a look and turned back to Quatre, saying, "A mass of Mobile suits seem to be gathering in outer space as we speak, no doubt where your friends went to."

"They're gonna attack the Colonies? No, my family's up there!" Quatre exclaimed, looking worried.

"We all have friends and family up there, mostly. . .we were going to come for you anyway to regroup and go after them. . ." Noin said. Just then, a burst of light flashed in the room and Chang appeared with Asuka by his side.

"What is this, everyone comes back with a new friend?" Duo exclaimed.

"Wufei. . .must have been some battle. . .you look a little disheveled. . ." Heero said, staring at Chang's messy hair. Quickly smoothing it down with a few furious swipes, Chang said indignantly, "Shutup, Yuy. . ."

"My name is Asuka Ling, I have come to join your battle and fight by your side to stop this war." Asuka stepped forward proudly to introduce herself.

"That's great, we could always use more allies!" Relena said cheerfully.

"Do you have any previous battling experiences or skills?" Noin asked.

"She took down 6 Taurus suits with nothing but a pair of daggers and a missile launcher." Chang said, rather impressed by her himself.

"Well. . .I only used the launcher once. . ." Asuka said, trying to sound a little humble. Milliardo blinked and said, "I wonder how. . ." Asuka looked like she would have gone into detail but Heero cut her off, saying, "Can we fill Chang in on the happenings as of late before Une blows the Colonies to kingdom come?"

"Happenings? What did I miss?" Chang asked, looking confused.

"Short version: Treize is dead, Une's ticked, she's going to take it out on the Colonies thus. . .we must be going."

"Treize is dead! WHAT!" Asuka yelled, looking furious and shocked at the same time.

"Who killed him!" Chang asked in a demanding tone.

"Does it matter? Une is gonna serve up the Colony with a side of toast if we keep arguing like this! And I don't like toast!" Duo interrupted the screamfest impatiently.

"We'll talk about this later, right now we have some people to save and a war to end, let's go!" Milliardo said in a commanding voice.

"If we form a circle and link hands, it won't take all our energy to get there, so we'll have plenty to expend on OZ." Rachel suggested. They all agreed, joining together in a circle and combining their powers to teleport everyone to the Colonies.


	55. Chapter 55

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. I hope I followed the laws of physics close enough with the antisound thingy! XD This chapter's not as intense as I could have hoped…but…oh well, here it is! gets out her tissues TT

Chapter 55

They appeared in the middle of space, floating freely through the dark void. Precious suddenly began silently screaming and desperately flailing for Trowa. Slowly, Trowa reached to her and held her tightly, mouthing something but nothing seemed to come out.

__

"Trowa, sound doesn't carry in space. . ." Heero thought to him, looking in his direction.

__

"I know, I was trying to mouth the words to her. . .we also can't breathe in space but we seem to be doing just fine."

"That's my doing. . ." Rachel thought to him, looking out across the expanse to see where the attackers were coming from. Among the pale dots in darkness, a sparkling cloud began to rise from Earth like a fog, flowing toward them.

__

"We should meet them in our suits, fight them that way." Chang thought freely, staring at the approaching enemy with a glint of excitement in his eyes. Just then, their fleet of mobile suits appeared in front of them, the sun's light glimmering off their armor brilliantly. Asuka's eyes widened as she admired them.

__

"Let's go, we should stop them while they're far from the Colony." Heero thought, starting forward toward Wing.

__

"Wait, what about Precious, Asuka, Relena, and Sayla? They'll be vulnerable out here!" Quatre thought, looking worried as he held Sayla's hand tightly. She inched closer to him as she grasped his arm, pulling close to his form in fear.

__

"You're right, you stay behind and protect them and the Colony. Do you think you can handle that?" Heero thought, looking over his shoulder as he opened the hatch to climb inside of his suit.

__

"Of course, but. . .what do you mean protect the Colony? Isn't that what you guys are doing?"

"I think he means to form a force field around it to repel any stray fire from the fight. Here, keep Precious close, she's scared." Trowa thought as he floated up to Quatre. Chang argued with Asuka as she insisted on helping, finally shoving her toward Quatre. She floated aimlessly for a second before colliding with Quatre and the others gathered around him. Precious fought Trowa as he tried to get free of her hands and pass her off to Quatre, finding it difficult to free himself of her octopus grip.

__

"Let me try. . ." Duo came over and used his powers to make his voice echo into her ears as he calmed her in German. She finally looked up sadly and whimpered, looking close to tears. She backed away from Quatre and mouthed more comments 

"She doesn't seem to like Quatre. . .sorry, man." Duo thought to Quatre who seemed hurt by the rejection. Duo spoke to her again and she slowly looked over at the group, stretching out her little hand to point to whom she wanted to hold her. Asuka blinked as Trowa handed Precious to her. With an uncomfortable look, Asuka held onto the little girl and looked at Duo with a death glare that sent chills down his spine.

__

"Yeesh, I'm better off out there, bye!" Duo darted off to his gundam and hopped in, quickly shutting the cockpit door.

__

"Quatre, do you think you can handle this on your own?" Rachel asked as she lagged behind, the others already boarded and preparing for attack. He looked a little scared but nodded, squeezing Sayla's hand to reassure himself of her presence. Rachel nodded back and floated to Verein, jumping in and starting up the engines, the small defensive fleet ready to do battle.

"Here they come guys, let's meet them with all we've got!" Duo shouted, firing up his beam scythe with a violent explosion of green light, griping the metal staff as he impatiently dove forward toward the incoming attackers.

"Duo, wait! We're attacking TOGETHER! BAKA!" Chang shouted, an irritated twitch pulsing under his left eye. With a flare of energy, all the Gundams roared to life, their best weapons drawn and ready for use as they flew forward. Heavy Arms began emptying clips on the first wave of mobile suits, blasting several into oblivion as Wing flew in behind the floating debris to take out the few dazed Taurus caught off guard by the onslaught.

"Take them out from the inside, their leader's somewhere near the center of the attack." Milliardo said, zigzagging through the crowd of suits and slashing through the metal bodies with his beam saber.

I knew you'd say that. . . A voice rang in everyone's ears and they all froze, looking around at each other.

"Une. . ." Noin said quietly.

"She's the leader, but where-" Heero searched through the vast sea of mobile suits looking for one that might stand out more than the rest. His eyes barely landed on a Leo loaded down with a beam cannon before the weapon was fired.

"INCOMING!" Milliardo shouted, dashing quickly out of the way. The tremendous laser beam cut through the battle like a blade as everyone jumped out of the way.

"AH!" Noin jerked the steering of Sandrock as its shoulder armor was clipped, ripping it from the left side.

"The Colonies, it's heading straight for them!" Duo exclaimed as they all watched on helplessly as the blast of power shot through space and finally dissipated against an invisible field around the entire Colony.

"Looks like Quatre's doing his job." Trowa said, turning to Une's Leo. But no one could find it, a crowd of mobile suits had suddenly advanced and swamped them with attacks, focusing on Sandrock.

"Noin!" Desperately, Noin slashed at any suits coming close, any escape routes cut off by the mass of mobile suits. They bombarded her with rifle blasts and she took the brunt of the attack in the left arm, losing a Shotel as it flew off into space in pieces. Tallgeese's rockets roared to maximum as he tore into the mass of mobile suits around Noin, ripping the group apart with his beam sabers and clearing an escape path.

"Hurry!" Milliardo shouted to Noin. She flew free of the attack and spun through space slowly as her engines cut off for a moment. Tallgeese flew up next to her, grabbing Sandrock's right arm and holding it still as Milliardo said, "Noin, are you alright?"

Yeah, I'm fine. . .Sandrock's damaged pretty bad, the engines don't want to stay on. gasp Milliardo, loo- Suddenly, a beam of light shattered the darkness and ripped through half of Tallgeese's body, its legs being torn from its frame.

"There's Une, fire!" Duo exclaimed, aiming Deathscythe's head in Une's direction and firing his Vulcan gun on her location. Trowa joined in the attack and they began blasting the mobile suits away from her, trying to clear a path of attack. But for every Taurus they blew apart, two more flew in to replace it as a shield, allowing Une to escape alive.

"DANG IT! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Duo roared, flying toward the blockade with his beam scythe drawn and fully charged, bringing up the blade and slashing through Taurus and Aries and anything else in his way. Chang flew in behind him, Shenlong's Dragon Fang launching from his arm and clamping onto an Aries, throwing the suit into another before he let his Vulcan gun unleash its ammunition on the two suits. They exploded and Chang drew his Beam Glaive, igniting it and facing Deathscythe. Duo faced him too and grinned, saying, "I see your Schwartz is as big as mine. . ."

"I'll use my 'Schwartz' to turn you into munch meat if you don't shutup!" Shenlong threatened to whack Deathscythe with its beam Glaive when Wing flew by, saying, "She's getting away while you two are bickering. . .have you noticed?"

"ARGH! I'll get you later, Maxwell. . ." Chang took off after Wing and slashed some futile attackers in irritation. Duo rolled his eyes and flew toward the crippled Tallgeese, saying, "Hey, Milliardo, are you alright in there?"

"Y. . .yes. . .just a little, shook up, that's all." Milliardo said, not wanting Duo to see the blood slowly running down his face from a cut he got during the attack. He weakly pressed the com button and spoke softly to Noin, "Noin. . .are you okay? Noin?. . .Noin!"

__

Sandrock! Noin, be careful! My gundam. . .Quatre thought nervously, seeing the attack on his gundam. He grit his teeth as he held the shield around the Colony at full power, sweat beginning to leave his body from the stress. Sayla floated close to Asuka, watching Quatre twitch under the strain, wishing she could encourage him or do something to help.

__

Quatre. . .I wish you could hear me. . .please, hold on, Quatre. Sayla thought, feeling like crying out of frustration.

__

Hurry up and finish them off already! This kid's getting too clingy. . .Asuka looked down at Precious as the little girl clenched Asuka's hair in his little fist and strained to see what was going on. She watched Precious for a moment and thought, _She's really attached to that Trowa guy. . .wonder if it's his kid. . .another kid lost in a war. . ._She held her closer and Precious looked up into her eyes, looking sad. Asuka smiled and Precious' lower lip shivered a little before she buried her face in Asuka's dress.

__

Great. . .I try to be nice and she cries! What's with this kid. . .Asuka thought, feeling a little uncomfortable about holding a crying child. She looked over at Relena and her gaze was returned. Relena saw her predicament and made a slow circular motion with her hand and nodded to Precious. Looking down, Asuka started rubbing Precious' back in slow circles and the child calmed down, sniffing and loosening her grip on Asuka's hair.

__

She's. . .asleep? Well, I guess it's better than wailing her eyes out and pulling on my hair. She's actually kinda cute. . .Asuka smiled up at Relena a thank you and she nodded back. Suddenly, a glint of light caught their eyes and they looked up to see another beam of light slam into the force field and cause Quatre more agony.

__

QUATRE! Sayla screamed in her mind, pushing against Asuka to begin moving toward Quatre.

__

Hey! Asuka glared at Sayla as she floated back toward the Colony.

"Une got around us, she's attacking the Colony!" Duo exclaimed, seeing the laser blast hit the force field again. Another blast hit the shield and it almost shuttered against the attack.

"Quatre's not gonna hold up much longer, we have to help him!" Rachel exclaimed. She blasted her rockets and flew rapidly toward the Colonies, hoping she wouldn't be too late. Tallgeese quickly caught up and he said to her, "I'll help, I know how Une pilots so I can take out her Beam cannon."

"Do what you can, we have to draw her fire away from the force field before she breaks through." They finally reached Une as she shot another laser blast at the force field and made it shake more violently. Rachel brought out her beam sabers, igniting them and diving on Une's Leo, ramming it and knocking her off course. She turned the cannon on her and charged it, firing and nearly taking Verein out. The force ripped Verein's right arm clean off, along with one of her sabers.

"Dang. . .Milliardo, look out!" Rachel shouted, withdrawing as Une positioned herself to shoot Tallgeese. Milliardo managed to avoid getting hit by the powerful blast and dove in to attack Une. As Une tried to attack Tallgeese again, she saw Verein flying toward the force field. Quickly, she swung the cannon around and fired on Verein.

"Rachel, NO!" Milliardo screamed, watching as the light swallowed the gundam whole.

"RACHEL!" Quatre screamed, starting to lose his control on the shield. He stared on in horror, feeling his stomach churning in sickness as he felt like throwing up. He felt a body collide with his and he looked back, his gaze locking with Sayla's.

__

"Sayla. . ." He thought to her, looking back with tears in his eyes as he watched the beam of light slowly disappear.

__

"Quatre. . .don't be afraid for me. . ." A voice drifted through his thoughts and he blinked, finally seeing a form floating through the void of space where Verein once was. With brilliance unmatched by the sun, light emanated from the body and melted into two glowing wings. The light spread further and the angelic being grew larger to the size of Une's Leo, the light dimming enough for everyone to be able to see it.

"R. . .Rachel?" Milliardo watched the angel of light float toward Une, facing her with its wings spread far out behind it. In a booming monotone voice, the angel spoke, "This war has gone on far too long, voices have been hushed like our own conscious, lives have been extinguished like a candle in the dark. I am here to bring back that light ten fold and banish the darkness from the world, to put a stop to your tyrannous reign. For the Organization of the Zodiac, this will be its death decree. You no longer have any power over the world!" With a sweep of its arms, a wave of light burst from the angel's body, expanding like a ripple on a pond and swallowing the mobile suits. They vanished with the light and the angel, leaving the Gundam pilots in a confused and dazed state.

"What. . .just happened. . ." Trowa muttered, his eyes wide with surprise.

"She's gone. . .she took OZ with her. . ." Duo said, tears running down his cheeks as he hung his head.

__

No. . .she. . .she can't be gone. . .can she? Relena thought, staring at the darkness with a sick feeling working its way into her stomach.

__

Why. . .we could have finished them, why did she sacrifice herself? Heero thought, staring blankly at the empty space between Earth and the Colonies.

__

"N. . .no. . .Rachel. . ." Quatre gasped sharply, feeling the pains of the force field setting in as he let down his defenses.

"Foolish. . .woman. . ." Chang choked out, wincing as his eyes stung with hot tears eagerly fighting to get free. Asuka blinked, feeling her heart pound in her chest like an unsteady drumbeat as she clutched Precious tightly in her arms, the child oblivious of the tragedy as she stared at Asuka questioningly.

__

It's over then. . .the battle, the endless fights. . .it's all over. . .we're finally free with one last sacrifice. . .but was it worth it?


	56. Chapter 56

Disclaimer: Alrighty, this is the last chapter! Oh, I don't own Gundam Wing, blah blah. Oh gosh, Rachel's been lost to them…what could possibly happen! T.T Well, I know, of course, because I wrote it…but I'm not telling…. Is this the end?

Chapter 56

"It's all my fault, Sayla. . .I wasn't strong enough to defend the Colonies, so she died because of my weakness!" Quatre sobbed, his face buried in his hands as he nearly drowned in his own tears. Sayla pulled him into her arms and held his head against her chest, rocking slowly as she tried to soothe his sorrows.

"How could she do that, were we that incompetent to her! I am strong enough, I could have stopped all of them! She just wanted to hog all the glory, say she was the victor. Of course, she takes away my right to destroy Treize and then keeps me from reveling in a glorious win over that evil organization!" Chang exclaimed, throwing his arms about in a fit of rage.

"Chang. . .shutup!" Asuka slapped Chang hard and he stopped, staring at her in a daze.

"What are we going to do about him. . ." Trowa said softly to Heero, watching his friend sit alone in the middle of the Sanc Kingdom's grassy lawn, his head hung low in his lap against the breeze.

"Nothing, leave him alone. . .he's dealt with enough in his life, he'll get over this as well. . ." Heero said dully.

"Before he had the war to keep him busy, to give him excuses to rush into the middle of a firefight and blast everyone to Hell where he thought he belonged. He used this battle as an attempt to kill himself. . .but now, with nothing but the battle inside himself, there's nothing left to fight for. . ." Trowa looked sympathetic, knowing the feeling Duo had.

"This isn't right. . ." Noin said, leaning into Milliardo's frame and clutching his shirt.

"None of this is right. . .but it happens nevertheless. . ." Milliardo responded, holding Noin close as she bowed her head solemnly. Suddenly, the sound of shuttle engines echoed through the surrounding structures, followed by a sharp turn in the breeze. Everyone looked up as a military aircraft flew toward them, landing on a clear section of the field.

"Milliardo, sir!" A cheerful Otto trotted down the ramp of the plane, running up to the group with a few crew trailing behind.

"Otto, what are you doing here?" Milliardo looked surprised.

"We came to congratulate you on your recent victory and have a request from many of the prime ministers for your presence to discuss a peace treaty! They're all excited about this coming age in our lives and want you to head the campaign for peace with the Colonies!"

"I'm sorry. . .you'll have to tell the prime ministers that I decline their stipulation. . ." Milliardo said, looking away and letting his gaze fall on his sister a ways away playing with Precious, looking close to tears.

"But sir, you're the only man for the job!" Otto pleaded.

"This job is not fit for any man. . .but perhaps a woman. . ." He smiled and nodded to Relena.

"Miss Darlian? What could a former prime minister's daughter do that you can't?"

"For one thing, she is very intelligent and well versed in the ways of politics. . .and, that is my sister you're talking about so I would ask you to have a little more respect."

"S-sister? No way!" From behind the gathering of crew, Chris burst out and ran up to Otto, "But, that means. . .she's a princess! And he's a prince!"

"Yes, we knew that already." Otto rolled his eyes.

"I have done far too many things in my lifetime I'm ashamed of, most of which have tarnished the name of Peacecraft. I would be doing my family an injustice if I accepted this roll, so I have hereby passed on my duties to the next in line to the throne. . .Relena." With the sudden mentions of her name, Relena approached the group and asked curiously, "What's going on?"

"Your highness!" Chris bowed, bumping into one of the crew and getting smacked.

"I beg your pardon? Highness? Milliardo. . .?" She looked to her brother for answers.

"Relena, you have had much experience with the ways of government, I believe you would do a fine job of leading our nations into the next century with your levelheaded thinking and peaceful ideals."

"Lead? As in. . .rule?" Relena blinked in surprise.

"Only temporarily, this world needs someone to help things get back to order! It'll be a challenging job but your brother seems to believe in you." Otto said, smiling to Milliardo.

"Well. . .I don't know what to say. . ." Relena looked flustered.

"Say yes, you can sort things out as you go along. And you'll have all of us to help you however we can. . ." Noin said, wiping her eyes as she smiled. Relena looked at all the faces surrounding her and let out a sigh, saying, "Alright, I'll do it."

"Good! We should get you to the senate immediately then, the prime ministers will want to meet their future queen! The Admiral will fill you in on all the details as we fly there. Admiral?" Otto turned and a woman stepped forward, bowing slightly to Relena, her golden curls bouncing with the movement.

"My name is Sally Po, any information you need, feel free to ask me." Sally said, slightly smiling. Relena nodded to her and turned, looking over at Heero who had been watching the affairs from afar.

"Heero. . .but. . ." Relena seemed enthralled with confusion.

"He can accompany you on the trip, discuss protective measures on your behalf with Admiral Sally, our head of security." Otto explained. Relena smiled and turned back to call to Heero, but he was already by her side.

"I'm assuming you already have the arrival point secured by someone." Heero said mildly, looking sternly at the woman.

"Of course. . .we should assign a bodyguard to Miss Darlian as well-" Sally began.

"She already has one." Heero said, glancing at Relena out of the corner of his eye. She blushed and bowed her head shyly.

"Daddy!" Precious toddled across the field, stumbling toward Trowa who knelt to pick her up. She fell into his arms, giggling and burying her face in his shirt. He lifted her up into his arms and held her close, rocking her slowly as she yawned.

"It's been a long day. . .nap time?" Trowa said, looking down at her.

"Nap. . ." Precious muttered, rubbing her eyes as she fell against Trowa's chest and snuggled into his jacket, grasping it in her little fists. He kissed her head gently and began to walk slowly toward the group.

"So, now that the war's over, how soon are you going to file for adoption?" Noin asked Trowa.

"As soon as I can. . ." Trowa said quietly, looking slightly irritated. He glanced over his shoulder at Chang and Asuka and yelled to Chang who had started carrying on again, "Hey, my girl's trying to get some sleep!"

"Why is he arguing with that woman?" Chris asked curiously, watching Chang grumble and wave off Asuka who pestered him for being noisy. Everyone began to look sadly in Duo's direction.

"We. . .lost someone in that last battle. . ." Noin said, looking down at the ground sadly.

"Someone? Where's. . ." Chris began but Trowa shook his head. With a look of mourning, Chris gazed over at Duo, muttering, "Oh no. . ." Suddenly, he blinked and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. He took off and ran over to Duo, calling out, "Mister, I have something for you!" Duo didn't move as he came to a stop next to him, leaning over to hand the paper to Duo. Duo looked up slowly at the article, reaching up and taking it as he blinked the tears from his eyes enough to read the paper.

"What's. . .this?" Duo muttered.

"It's from that lady friend of yours, she told me to give it to you after the war. . .I'm sorry about what happened. . ." Chris turned and walked back to his superiors, following them as they walked toward the plane. As everyone seemed to drift off in different directions, Duo slowly unfolded the paper and read the text written on it.

An eternal love

Sitting here with you makes me so glad,

When you listen to every word I say,

It almost makes me sad,

When I know I'll leave you some day.

Till then I wish to stay with you,

Being your best friend,

And do whatever you want to,

Until my final day comes to an end.

So what I mean to say, my dear,

Is when death's door arrives,

I will have nothing to fear,

Because our love still survives.

Duo began to sob as he said, "Rachel. . ." He looked at the bottom of the paper and saw some print smudged by his tears. Looking closer, he made out some numbers in what looked like an address, marked at the end: Come find me.

__

She. . .she knew this was going to happen? But. . .why didn't she tell me? What good is this going to do me now, she's dead. . .or. . .is she? He jumped to his feet and ran over to Heero, yelling, "She's not dead, she's alive!"

"Duo, what are you talking about?" Heero asked, looking at him like he had snapped.

"Rachel, she's not dead! She just went back home, that's all, I have to find her!" Duo shouted, looking overjoyed.

"I think your friend has lost it. . ." Sally remarked, cocking an eyebrow. Duo waved her off and pulled Heero aside, saying in a quieter voice, "It's her address, she wants me to go to her world and get her!"

"Duo. . ." Heero looked sorry for him.

"Please, you have to help me! What if she lost her powers after that big thing, she could be stuck in her world! What if just going there removes your powers, I could get stuck too. . ." He began to muse for a second.

"Duo, what are you saying?"

"I need you to bring me back in case I can't get back on my own; me and Rachel."

"What if you get there and find out she's dead there as well? What if her spirit passed on and left her body empty?"

"STOP IT! I won't just give up on her like that! I owe her this much, to try to find her, I won't let something like space and time keep me from finding her, I'm going!"

"Duo, listen to yourself, you're hysterical!"

"Yeah, so what! Love makes you do crazy things, and this is just one of the many to come!"

"Duo. . ." Heero still looked skeptical. With a firm grip, Duo grabbed Heero by the shoulders and looked him square in the eyes.

"Heero. . .wouldn't you go searching the galaxy if you knew Relena was out there somewhere waiting for you?"

". . .you're a baka, you know that. . ." Heero sighed. Duo grinned and said, "Well duh, now is that a 'yes, Duo, I'll help you' or am I gonna have to get on my knees and beg?"

"Please no. . ." Heero pushed him away and crossed his arms.

"If I'm not back in an hour, bring me back! Oh, but if Rachel's with me, bring her back too! See ya in a few!" With that, Duo vanished before Heero could protest further.

"Rachel, you're awake! Oh, thank the LORD!" Voices rang in Rachel's ears as she blinked open her eyes, her vision slowly focusing on a familiar face.

"M-mom?" Rachel muttered.

"We were so scared, you've been in a coma for over a week!" Rachel's mom hugged her suddenly, sobbing profusely onto Rachel's hospital gown.

"A. . .a coma?" Rachel blinked in confusion.

__

Was that all just a. . .a dream? No, it couldn't have been, it was too real! How could so much have been just some figment of my imagination? Rachel thought, slowly embracing her mom in return.

"Rachel, oh my gosh, you're back!" Rachel looked to her left and saw her two best friends bound into the room and tackle her on the bed after her mom had moved away.

"Dana, Rachael. . .what happened?" Rachel said, still in a daze.

"No one knows, you just went to sleep one night and never woke up!" Rachael said, close to tears.

"Everyone's been praying for you at church, hoping you'd come back soon. We missed you so much!" Dana hugged her again and began to cry. Rachel slowly sat up and moaned, feeling dizzy as she said, "I had the strangest dream. . ."

"You sure it was just a dream?" Rachel looked toward the doorway and blinked, not recognizing the young man standing in the doorway.

"Is. . .this a friend of yours?" Dana asked, looking the strangely dressed boy over, mainly eyeing his peculiar hairdo. Rachel suddenly gasped, her hands covering her mouth as her eyes stared widely at the grinning young man. She suddenly leapt from the bed and ran to him, saying, "You ARE real!"

"Of course I am. . .so are you." He said, stretching out his arms as she ran into them, hugging him tightly.

"Oh, Duo. . .I was so afraid it was just a dream. . ." Rachel sighed joyfully, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Duo?" Rachael looked over at Dana who cocked an eyebrow, remembering her friend's obsession with a similarly named Anime character.

"Rachel. . .who is this man?" Rachel's mother asked, a little concerned by her fondness with this stranger.

"My dream man. . ." Rachel said, looking happily up into Duo's eyes as he smiled back. He stroked her cheek gently as he said, "I finally found my dream girl. . .again." With a giggle, Rachel raised up on her toes to reach Duo's head, closing in as he slowly kissed her with more passion than either of them had ever felt in their lives.

The End. . .?


End file.
